Scarlet Child
by SnowyNeko
Summary: Kaneki wasn't alone while he was tortured. A girl named Hanako Himura was there long before him, and for some reason has been kept alive all this time. She's lost her sanity, and claims it was gone before Yakumo ever touched her. Now this mad ghoul has her eyes set on Kaneki. When she meets him and he's completely forgotten everything... Warning: Graphic violence.
1. Chapter 1

First things first, this follows the manga for the most part. It does contain scenes that're in the anime, but the entirety of it will concentrate on :RE. Also, like with my last story, I might wait to update with the next chapters. I want to get more written beforehand. I'm only posting this because I'm excited about finishing this chapter. And I'm gonna add, when I tell you at the end what anime I plan to write a fanfiction on next, don't trust me! I haven't kept my original ideas for a while. I was planning on an Attack on Titan story next, but this obviously isn't Attack on Titan. So, let me introduce you Hanako, my first OC with a Japanese name. To put it plainly, she's insane. I'll let you see what I mean.

So, I'm back! At least for the moment, I am. Enjoy the Scarlet Child.

* * *

I'm not exactly sure what my first impression of him was, only that his screams made me quiver with excitement. They aren't any different from the past victims' Yamori has cycled through, but for some reason, I've been enraptured from the beginning. His cries send shivers through me, and his tears cause my knees to shake. What is it? Why is he so unique to me? He seems to be unique to Yamori, as well. He's lasted considerably longer than most, excluding me. It makes me think that perhaps I'll be tossed aside in favor of this new toy. Oh well, I've been growing bored of this torture anyway.

My first conversation with the boy was the last. We haven't spoken since the day he arrived. The conversation is burned into my head, mainly because I've had nothing better to do. Intervals between Yamori's torture can be tedious. Memorizing our words gives me an activity to fill that void.

" _I'm Hanako Himura, at your service," I introduced myself. "Who are you?" He looked completely terrified, as he still does, but he still had hope at that point. You can be terrified with or without it, but the difference between someone with hope and someone who's lost it is bigger than you'd think._

" _Kaneki K-Ken. H-how long have you been here, Hanako?"_

 _I let my head loll to one side in thought. "I don't know. I'd say three years, but that's just me guessing. I've estimated my birthday to have occurred three times, so that would make me sixteen. My last birthday was two and a half weeks ago, I think. Want to know what I got for a present? Yakumo gouged out both of my eyes for the three hundred, eighty fourth time, and he also went through the trouble of hacking off my left ear. It still hasn't grown all the way back yet. I heal pretty slow, after all."_

 _The look on his face was wonderful as he gagged, trying not to throw up. I grinned, giggling to myself. How innocent, how unsullied he was. I knew it was going to be fun watching as he became stained with blood._

" _What type of kagune do you have, Kaneki? I'll give you a prize if you guess mine!" He didn't respond, causing a growl to sprout in my throat. "It's rude to ignore me, you know? You're company!"_

" _Company?" he choked._

" _Yes, company. Someone who comes to someone else's house, stays for a while, and then leaves. Broaden your vocabulary a little."_

" _S-so that means...I'll get out of here?"_

" _Of course!" I smiled warmly. "But not before he kills you. Or maybe you'll get lucky and I'll decide to break you out. But that's highly unlikely. If you really want to live, it's kill or be killed. Kill Yakumo and we both have a free ticket out of here."_

 _He shook his head, much to my surprise, refusing without hesitation. "My mother always told me it better to be hurt than to hurt people."_

" _Is that so? Where is that mother of yours now? Bet she ended with some tragic fate. I would've liked to have met her! No one as stupid as that can live in this world. Her struggling along like a lost child...that would've entertained me to no ends! You know what? You take that advice! Take it and live by it so I can watch you limp along like your mother did until you finally fall to the ground dead." Much more to my calculations than before, he began to sob. Ah, so I was right. His mother must've died. Pity. Two injured animals are better than one._

 _It was then that Yamori had to interrupt us. I immediately lowered my head, a smile playing at my lips. My hair hid my face so he couldn't see my amused expression as he approached me. I shrunk against my chair in mock fear, crying out when a hand grabbed my hair and yanked my head up. My lips trembled, not with terror, but in desperation not to smile._

" _Don't hurt her!" I glanced at Kaneki, who began straining against his restraints. Perfect, just perfect! Struggle more, despair more, and keep my boredom at bay!_

" _Count, bat."_

 _Voice shaking, I started from where I left off. "132….125…"_

 _My memory ended with my screech and the feeling of fingers digging into my skull and my eyeballs gushing out and down my cheeks._

"I've got a choice for you, Kaneki." My head snaps up. Huh? When did Yamori come back? And this time, he isn't the only one who came. He's brought the two who bring us food, pushing them to the ground if front of Kaneki. "Choose one."

The boy stares at the two struggling in front of him, frozen. "What?"

"Choose one to save. I'll kill the other."

I have to bite my cheek until it bleeds to keep from laughing. If you can't break a person through physical torment, break them through the mind. It doesn't matter what result Kaneki's choice results in. He won't be the same after this. It should put a stop to my fascination with him, but he'll be going out with a bang. He won't disappoint me.

The wimp doesn't choose either, instead choosing to watch Yamori kill them both while he begs for them to be spared. I hold back a squeal of delight when I see the horror plastered across his face, the tears that spill over in streams.

However, I then notice the smirk on Yamori's face and I stop trying to contain myself. My unwavering grin transforms into a scowl as I watch him. He's like a rooster, or a peacock strutting. It doesn't take much to see the pride and power he's exerting. Disgusting, if disgusting could describe the sickness swelling up within me. What did he ever do deserve this much power? What right does he have to hold such authority over me? Although, I guess he's not wielding it over _me_ right this minute.

I seethe in my chair, pressing against the chains that hold me to calm myself. They rip into the skin around my ankles and wrists until they're cut raw. I concentrate on the searing pain to keep myself from breaking free and pouncing. Not yet. Have patience, Hanako. Wait until the time is right.

Then, Yamori turns his attention to me and I drop my head again, concealing my chuckles. "Have your eyes grown back? Is it time again?"

"No," I whimper, biting my lip. He's stomping over when-

He stops. And turns back to Kaneki

I raise my head in astonishment. I think this is the first time he's left me with my eyesight intact. My gaze travels to Kaneki, who's gone still. I wonder what must be going through his mind. He's probably replaying the images of the ghouls' deaths over and over again, agonizing over his weakness. That's what I did when I was first exposed to the ugly reality of death. Now it's become simply an everyday occurrence.

I stare at him, waiting for signs of his internal war. As I do, my eyes begin to drift shut until I black out.

It's weird, but I've been able to sleep unusually sound since Kaneki came. Maybe it's because he doesn't whine and break down into hysterics when Yamori isn't here, or that he doesn't insist on talking twentyfour seven. Whatever it is, I'm sure I've lost the bags under my eyes that've been there ever since I could remember. It'll be strange to look in a mirror after I escape and find them missing. But I don't know when my insomnia will return, so any chance to rest is welcome. Yamori will think I've passed out from fear.

I start when a loud slam reverberates throughout the room. I'm about to begin my act when other noises reach my ears. Crashing...the sounds of kagune colliding. It's time.

This time I don't have to hide my persistent grin. I meet Yamori's eyes head on. Whatever I look like, it leaves a hint of puzzlement and confusion in his expression, but he dismisses me and gives his attention to Kaneki.

Aogiri seems to be being attacked by the doves. I'm sure there are opposing ghouls as well, judging by what I'm hearing, but that doesn't concern me. It just means more chaos to cloak my escape.

That's when I notice a variation of the norm. Kaneki is no longer stuck in his seat, and his dark hair has turned stark white. I tip my head to the side, trying to comprehending what I'm seeing. Did I miss something while I slept? But what could've turned his hair white like that? Surely it wasn't dyed, right?

I jump when Kaneki leaps at Yamori. My eyes latch on the boy, processing the red around his mouth before he wipes it off.

Blood! That was _blood!_ He took a bite out of Yamori! Unable to contain myself, I cackle. This is too FUNNY!

Of course, Yamori doesn't let him off like that. Kaneki ends up with at least one more chunk of Yamori meat that I see. He's quite agile, isn't he? I'm impressed, him being only a half ghoul and all. I think it's lovely when his one eye is activated. The contrast between his left and right eye is beautiful.

And I finally get to see his Kagune. I've always envied the Rinkaku types. It would be so useful to have so many fluid moving whips like that, and their healing ability is beyond compare! It suits him, the tentacles his kagune create.

Yamori on the other hand...I don't like how his looks at all. He has a kakuja, which is interesting, but it's big and clunky. There's absolutely no appeal to it. Kakujas should be sleek and elegant. His attacks also lack grace, which irks me.

I shriek when Kaneki pins down our tormentor and begins to devour him. My heart beats audible in my ear, my entire body shaking from the thrill. This...this coward...Kaneki is amazing! Just a few hours ago, I never imagined he could kill a mouse. I knew he'd please me, but this exceeds everything! How unbearably wonderful he's turned out to be! I don't know how much longer I can simply spectate.

Before Yamori is dead, however, he stops. The brute of a man is left on the ground without his kakuja, or any signs of his kagune. I look to Kaneki, baffled.

"I'm not entirely sure I should release you, actually," he admits. "It might be better if the ghoul investigators find you."

I giggle. "Not to worry, then! You don't have to make that choice." I yank my arms from behind me, the chains snapping like a twig. "I have a high resistance to RC suppressants."

He turns to leave, but I call out. "Hey wait! Tell me why you aren't killing him! With that sort of strength, you certainly have the power to."

He doesn't stop walking. "Do what you want with him," he tells me. And that's it. The miracle of a boy disappears around the corner and I'm left alone, except for the beaten, bruised, and dying form on the floor.

I snap the chains around my legs and walk over to Yamori. The puncture wounds from Kaneki's kagune seep slowly, creeping onto the floor around him in puddles. What a terrifyingly delicious sight.

I unleash my bikaku, squatting down to see the face of the man I've let rip me apart for so long. The tears flowing from his face arouse nothing in me. I feel not interest, happiness, or compassion. He's in this condition because he was weak, and yet he played like a king. He blinded himself to anything greater than himself. This is what happens to those like him.

"Tell me, Yakumo," I address him directly. I wonder if he realizes how long I've remembered his name. He only told me once, before he took me here. Does he realize how significant the fact that I held onto his name is? "I've been curious for a while, now. Why did you pick me up in the first place? And why did you keep me for so long? I expected you to try to get rid of me long ago."

He gasps from the pain, the noise he makes guttural and inhuman. Still, I'm able to decipher his words. "...B…'ause….re...mind….your eyes are….the...same...as my mo...ther's…"

"Thank you," I smile. "That's all I need to know. But I have to say two things. First, I'm a ghoul, not a bat. I have better eyesight than most things and that won't change no matter how many times you poke your fingers in my head. And second. Your torture did nothing to me. I haven't changed in the slightest since we first met, and that whole time you thought you had me under your thumb, I was laughing at you. You have no idea how hard it was for me not to laugh in your face as you tore out my eyes. Good-bye, Yakumo. You've grown boring."

And with that, I use the heel of by boot to pierce one of his eyes staring up at me. I decide to leave him alive, as well. I'm not entirely sure of Kaneki's reason for doing so, but I'm well aware that continuous pain is far worse than death. I'll leave him for those vulture-like doves to come scavage.

I don't really have any particular destination in mind. I'll probably go back to wandering and searching for entertainment. Maybe I'll settle down for a little while first, though. I could find a nice park, or cafe, and house myself near it. Perhaps I'll try school again….or not.

Kaneki floats around in the back of my mind, nudging me so that I don't forget. No, I won't forget someone like him. It is my and only prayer to god, if such a being exists, that I meet him again. May our fates intertwine so that I never grow tired of life again. There's no doubt in me that I'll see him in the future, and when I do, I won't let him escape. I'll sew ourselves together surgically if that's what it takes. The moment we cross paths, he's mine.

And nothing is strong enough to keep that from happening.

* * *

She's obsessed. I should mention that as I usually do, direct character descriptions will be avoided to allow to the reader to visualize her in any way they wish. or put themselves in her place. Although, this is a character you may not to be. I'll include how I envision her in the last chapter. I realize I left the description out in my last story, so here it is now: The character Esther Bryant has long, brown hair that she normally keeps in a braid. Her skin isn't particularly pale, but it isn't dark by any means. Her eyes are hazel. If anyone has questions about that, please ask, but not in the comments for this story. I'll get back to writing the rest of this one, but be warned. It may vary from the manga because it isn't actually finished yet. I'm taking a chance here.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	2. Chapter 2

I'm thinking I'll probably change the rating from T to M, due to violence and language. I don't expect any sexual content to be involved. If anyone has any complaints, I'm open to hear you out, but someone has already pointed out it should me rated M. Anyway, is anyone else in high school? I've been under the impression my entire life that it'd be hard, and I'd have to spend hours on homework nightly. That's not even close to the case for me. Is that weird? Is it just because it's the beginning of the school year? I feel almost like I'm doing something wrong. I mean, is it supposed to be this easy? It just doesn't seem right to me. I expected it to be so much worse. I think this might be the first time I've said anything about my age, too. Yes, I'm a freshman in high school, but that doesn't quite tell you my exact age. I try not to share too much information like that over computers. Anyway, onto the story.

* * *

I've completely lost track of which ward I'm in. It's not like it really matters, though. I haven't been caught, nor have I seen any doves since breaking out of Aogiri. They may not even know of my existence yet. That'll have to be fixed soon, won't it?

I lick the remainder of blood from my fingers, sucking on the last digit to savor the taste. The person at my feet is just some unlucky chap I happened to meet earlier. I'd noticed him hiding out in the alleyway, like some rat in a sewer that scurries away from light. Before he disappeared, I decided to take a detour and fill my stomach.

Unlike what many speculate, I actually don't like the intestines. The humans are always saying things like, 'If you get caught by a ghoul, they'll rip out your intestines'. For some reason it's always the intestines. I strongly dislike the part in all honesty. I mean, consider what the role of those organs are. They taste absolutely horrendous. I'd rather a nice tendon, or best of all, a still beating heart fresh out of its host. That meat has the most delicious flavor, although I can't really describe it. I have no experience with human food to compare it to.

Using my kagune, I wipe splotches of red from my shirt. It's a good thing I chose to wear black today. Blood stains don't show up very well on dark colors. This way I can still blend into society after eating a meal.

I fetch my shoes from their place sitting aside from the body fluids spilled. They're my favorite flats, studded with silver jewels. When I first saw them, I couldn't stop myself from eating their owner. I just had to have them. Maybe it has something to do with the fact the jewels remind me of a certain ghoul I met some time ago.

How long has it been since I last saw him? Time goes by too sporadically for me to keep track of. Sometimes months pass without me noticing, while other times seconds seem to last for eternities. I'm not sure how old I am anymore. I know my seventeenth and eighteenth birthdays have passed, but has my nineteenth? I've lost track.

The streets are filled with pedestrians, huddled together similar to cattle waiting to be slaughtered. A few will die from disease, and a select group of those who are truly unlucky will live their entire lives and die from aging. The rest, though, will die due to either us ghouls or their own stupidity. Personally, I think their lack of reason kills them more than my kind does.

I stop to read a sign, temporarily interrupting traffic until they realize they can also go _around_ me. The sign is for a café called :RE, whatever that stands for. This might be the place I heard about a couple days ago from a fellow ghoul, a café run by ghouls. He said it was open to the public, ghoul or no. I'm pretty sure I heard about one similar to it awhile back, long before Yakumo came into the picture. It had a different name, though, and I heard it closed for one reason or another. Maybe they just relocated here and changed their name.

I push the door open, a little bell dinging. I snicker. What a fun little trinket.

I seat myself, looking around. The atmosphere is a bit dark due to lack of wide, spacious windows, but the dimness is comfortable. And the smell...My nose flares as coffee wafts through the air. There's nothing better than a bitter drink to wash down such a sweet entrée.

"May I help you?" I look up to see a human, *sniff*, no, a ghoul girl who looks to be about as old as me. Her hair is a lovely shade of pale purple that glistens in the light from the bar.

I give her my courtesy smile. "A cup of coffee. Black please."

She scribbles. "Any sugar?"

"No." I watch her as she walks to the bar and gives the tender the order. He's a ghoul too, it appears. This building has the scent of a ghoul lingering heavy. Obviously, this is a hot spot for them. The only two employees I'm seeing are those two, though. Did they start this place all by themselves? From what I've gathered, the last café like this was run primarily by an older man. Perhaps they aren't related to that place Anteiku. Ah, that was its name, wasn't it? Anteiku. I never did get the chance to visit it.

The girl comes back with my drink and is about to go tend to other customers. "Excuse me," I stop her, "but what is your name?"

"Touka," she tells me, pointing to her nametag.

"Your hair is very pretty, Touka." I take a sip from my coffee. "Shame you cut it so short."

She nods politely. "Thank you. I like the white stripe in your hair, Ms. It goes very well with your outfit."

I get back to my drink, hand twisting the strands of white dangling in front of me. I love it, too, although I never put it there myself. It's been there ever since the incident with Yakumo and Kaneki. I wonder if it's the same as what happened to that boy's hair. It would be exhilarating if that is the case. It's like a permanent reminder of him. The white connects the two of us, assuring that we'll meet again. I'm curious as to what he's done for the past few years.

A strange scent mingles with the rest, capturing my interest. It's not quite ghoul, but it's not human either. At the same time, it's different from the pure half and half split scent that Kaneki had. It's like the human smell has enveloped the fragrance of a ghoul. As much as that piques my interest, it irritates me. I feel like there's something being masked underneath this unique aroma, and I can't identify what exactly it is. Why can't I put a name to it? My nose never fails me. The scent is neither bitter nor delicious, and my mouth doesn't water from it, and yet it draws me in more than the unrecognizable human-ghoul mixture. What is it? Why is it being disguised so well?

I allow my gaze to wander towards the origin, finding a group of people sitting together. They're all young, but older than me from the looks of it. The aroma hangs like a cloud around them. Heat flows into my face, anger flaring. Who are they to confuse me and my sense of smell? I've trained my nose to pick up even the miniscule difference between a human and ghoul's scent, and yet they've got me stumped without even trying. My nose is better than any regular ghoul's! I should be able to identify them, at least!

Then one of the boys moves his head to talk to one of the others and I see the person on the opposite side of the table. His white hair has streaks of dark in it,, and there's no sign of his black ghoul eye, but the person is undoubtedly the Kaneki Ken who was tortured to his breaking point.

My blood reacts, boiling cold with excitement. I found him! I knew we'd meet again, I knew it! And now that I've got him in my sights, he won't be able to get rid of me. He won't be able to run, not while I can chase. He's not getting away.

I stand, not bothering to finish my coffee. Let it grow cold. What do I care? I've been waiting for this moment ever since he first left my sight. As I get closer to the table, I realize I was wrong in my assumption that they were all boys. One of the three is actually a girl. Absently, I wonder why she wears an eyepatch. It can't be due to any recent injury, because then I'd smell blood.

"Hello," I grin slyly, directing my words to Kaneki. "It's been a while."

Their conversation stops as they all turn to face me. Kaneki's face is one of confusion. "Have we met?"

I lift a brow in astonishment. "Have you seriously forgotten? My name is Hanako. Surely you remember." I can't believe the mystified expression he wears. He can't have forgotten, can he? How do you forget such an experience? We watched each other's' limbs be torn from us countless times. That isn't something that just slips your mind.

"Perhaps you're mistaking me for someone else," he tells me gently. It takes all I have not to gape at him. He's like a completely different person! There isn't any piece of the monster I witnessed defeat Yakumo, a kakuja ghoul, to be found. But I'm not mistaking him for someone else. His face is exactly the same, save for the expression of agony he had when we first met, and I now recognize that it was _his_ scent that I couldn't put a name to before. What happened to him to change him this much?

"Wrong," I suppress a growl. "You're him. You are without a doubt Kaneki Ken."

"I'm sorry. My name is Haise Sasaki."

My hand jerks with the effort to hold myself back. "Oh, is that so? Then do you know anyone named Kaneki Ken?"

He shakes his head, the head which is obviously Kaneki's. "I'm afraid not."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I pound my hand on their table, causing it to splinter around my fist. They all jolt to their feet, taking a defensive stance. "You don't just claim not to be him, you claim not to even _know_ him? Do you think I'm and idiot, Kaneki? Your hair might be different, but I can still tell it's you! There's no way I'd _mistake_ you for someone else!"

"H-hey," he stammers. "Calm down." He's stuttering. Just like he did when he told me his name.

"Do you have _any_ _idea_ how long I've been waiting to see you again? You didn't leave me any clues to where you went, and I've had to sit around on my ass, eating and sleeping, _waiting_ until I came across some hint to your whereabouts."

"I'm sorry," a girl's voice cuts in. A hand on my shoulder causes me to whirl around, but I'm careful to keep Kaneki, or _Haise_ as he insists, in my field of view. There's no way I'm letting him squeeze through my fingers when I've got him on the palm of my hand. The girl is Touka, the waitress. "Her boyfriend for five years broke up with her couple weeks ago, and he happened to look quite a bit like you. As you can see, she's not handling it well."

"What the-" Her hand clenches on my shoulder, nails digging into my skin. Deciding to hear her out, I quiet.

"I offered that she could come here whenever she's down, but I'll have to kick her out since she's bothering our customers." She tries to turn me away from the group, but I resist stubbornly. "Come on," she commands sternly. "I'll get you another cup of coffee and we can talk in the back."

Sensing no ill intent from her, I take one last look at the boy and follow her into the back of the cafe. I make myself comfortable in a chair while she goes to fetch the coffee. I don't really care what she has to say to me. She'll probably just scold me for causing such an upset and say something about how bad it is to attract attention to us ghouls. I don't need to listen to any of that shit, but free coffee is free coffee. It means one less person I have to kill or rob at my inconvenience.

When she returns, she hands me the green cup, keeping the white one to herself. I gulp down half of it, ignoring how it scalds my mouth and throat. Then I put it down on the coffee table, sighing. "What do you want?"

"What is your relation to Kaneki?" she asks me, eyes searching.

This throws me off. "Kaneki? You know him? Then you should know I'm not wrong! That person was him and no one else!"

"It was," she relents. "But he's lost his memory."

"And how did this happen?" I snarl, baring my teeth.

"Answer my question first."

"We were torture buddies, Touka," I state like it was obvious. "I was one of 'Jason's' toys. These are my three hundredth-something pair of eyes. Do you want to know how many times his fingers and toes were ripped off?"

Her face twists as if she's just smelled something awful and she sets down her coffee. I pick up mine and continue to drink.

"Over the course of ten days, his fingers and toes were torn from him at least-"

"Stop," she murmurs. "Don't say it."

"But isn't it valuable to know?" I question. "You're his acquaintance, are you not?"

"That's something I don't need to know."

"Your loss, then. I told you what you wanted. Now tell me how he lost his memory, and what is he doing now?"

She takes a deep breath. "I'm not sure exactly what caused his memory loss, but I think it might be what's best for him. He was never a stable ghoul."

"I disagree," I smile, close lipped. "I think he made a wonderful ghoul."

Her glare brings a chuckle to my lips. "However he lost his memory, he was taken in by the ghoul investigators. He's now a dove."

* * *

Can anyone guess the meaning behind me calling the story 'Scarlet Child'? The obvious meaning shouldn't be too hard, I'd imagine, but there is actually a little more to it. I invite you to look into it, because it won't spoil anything I have planned. Speaking of what is planned, I'm having a bit of a writer's block. I have finished the third chapter, but I don't like updating until I've completed the chapter following. I'm not exactly sure what she'll do. Maybe she'll go back to :RE, but I don't know. I just thought I should give you guys a heads up. If I really can't think of anything, I'll post the next chapter without the one afterwards done. Suggestions are welcome, but I can't guarantee I'll use them. Likelihood is I won't, though. It's not much of my own story if I sap from other peoples' ideas, now is it?

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	3. Chapter 3

Does anyone like the gothic style? I don't mean like just black. What I mean is the actual gothic style with ribbons and bows and frills. Buttons and lace. I love it, but it's hard to find clothes like that. Today, I got this little mini hat and started wearing it. I was inspired, so I dressed up like a gothic doll. Yeah, I know I'm weird. I also got this scarf that matches the hat, and am wearing it. I'm being dragged to a football game, so I tried to dress warmly, but I'm still wearing a skirt. I would wear tights or leggings, but then I couldn't wear knee high socks. I probably drew a lot of attention when I went out for lunch...Who cares, though? This is how I like to dress. It's fun. It feels like I'm wearing a costumes!

And now, I release you from my boring life and present chapter three!

* * *

So Kaneki became a dove. What an unexpected and unpleasant twist. How _interesting_ he's been. The boy who at first was a pathetic coward transformed into a monster when he finally realized how power oriented the world is, and then forgot everything and became one who opposed what he half is. He became my enemy, as well as the enemy of every ghoul in Japan. We might never end up on the same side, but peace is boring anyway. This make everything so much more exciting.

I flip my loose ponytail over my shoulder. So this is the building where the doves gather. It's their nest of metal and glass. What a dangerous nest it is, with the possibility of being cut always present. It's encased in iron, the smell of human blood. I cannot express how perfect it is.

I stare up at it, watching the clouds reflected on its windows. I can't imagine how many birds must die flying into this towering building. It's somewhat surprising there aren't winged creatures littering the ground around it. Perhaps there'll be some creatures without wings littering the ground in a bit. Then again, there's no reason for me to kill anyone. If they don't engage me, I won't engage them. But what are the odds of that? It'll be bothersome, but it's almost certain I'll have to use at least part of my full power. Really, it'd be so much easier for everyone if they didn't have to attack me. I could get in, get the information, and leave.

When I walk through the doors, I'm met by a receptionist at a desk. Most of the investigators are probably deeper in the building. Unfortunately, that's where I need to be.

"Excuse me," the woman calls out to me. I ignore her until she calls me again. "Excuse me! Girl, can I help you with something?"

I appraise her. She won't do me much good. "No, you can't." I walk past her, paying no heed to whatever she says next. The hall leading to the rest of the building is lined with what looks like metal detectors from an airport. I check my pockets, but I have nothing metal on me. Still, metal detectors aren't going to stop ghouls. Shouldn't they have some sort of ghoul detection system? Security from ghouls should be their priority, if you think about it.

As I step through the detectors, an alarm rings through the building. The eyes of everyone turn to me. For the moment of shock that follows, I study the machine around me. So it isn't a metal detector? How does it do that?

And then the running begins. I continue my leisurely pace deeper into the place while some rush to escape, and others open suitcases to reveal kagune weapons. I think I heard from somewhere that they're called quinques. Lowering my head, I remove my mask from my pocket. Really, I must pay my compliments to Uta later. His custom designs are so chic. The gold crown shape at the top is amusing, but I'm particularly a fan of the eye slits that remind me of cat eyes. It comes down red around my cheeks, but leaves my nose and mouth exposed for free usage. From the second I stepped into his store last week, I knew he'd be able to satisfy my needs. I slip it on my face as I defend away the first attacker.

As I walk, I use my bikaku as both a shield and battering ram. Other than the onslaught of investigators that are a pain to keep at bay, the defense inside the building is relatively small. I easily bash through the doors standing in my way. But offense is a different story. I guess I didn't expect them to be simple kills.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spy an ukaku type quinque. Finally, that's some common sense! Ukaku overpowers bikaku, afterall. That is the proper way to respond to my kagune.

It fires projectiles, but wings sprout from in between by shoulder blades to block. I move forward as they stare, frozen momentarily. I am well aware of how rare Chimeras are, but I am thankful to all extents that I inherited both of my parent's kagunes. It has made my life so much easier. Continuing to use my bikaku for its prior purposes, I use my ukaku solely to fight. I don't have to look back to know I've hit multiple investigators. The stairs are the worst, since I have to fight my way up and defend myself from below at the same time. I break down every door I pass until I come to a room lined with files. Stepping inside, I defend my position while using my tail to grab things to blockade the door. Once I'm satisfied I'll have adequate time until they break through, I leave and begin to browse the files.

I don't really have much to go off of, my only keywords being Kaneki Ken and Eyepatch Ghoul. Touka mentioned to me after I revealed I knew of his half blood that he was sometimes referred to as the Eyepatch Ghoul. Apparently, because only one of his eyes turns ghoul, he always wore an eyepatch around to hide it. She said he didn't have much control over his eye.

I'm just glad they keep written records. I'm useless with electronics, so I'd have to kidnap and threaten one of those investigators if they kept it all on computers. That would be so much more work.

After a few minutes, I come across the reports of an investigator named Amon. I flip his open, and the words EYEPATCH GHOUL practically pops off the page at me. It reads about a ghoul that, when he first met, wouldn't kill him. And it mentions the hair turning white, and how he appeared at grand operations often, including the invasion of Aogiri. Another nickname draws my attention, which is Centipede. It describes, to my amazement, a centipede-like _kakuja_ that he developed.

My legs give out from under me as I reread those words in my head. He developed a _kakuja!_ How the hell did he forget something as important as that? What I wouldn't give to face ghoul Kaneki on a one-on-one battle, both of us going at it with everything we have. I get goosebumps just thinking about it!

A sudden crash jerks me from my daydream and I look to see that they've broken through my barricade. That's fine. I didn't expect it to last all that long, anyway.

But what keeps me on the floor in confusion is that the only ones coming through the now open doorway are children. Okay, they're older than me at least, and I recognize three of them. Kaneki is one of them, and two of the other three were his companions at the cafe. So I guess that makes all of them doves. When did the ghoul investigators start hiring young adults with little experience to take on Chimeras?

Most of them hold quinques, but one of the boys doesn't. What exactly does he expect to fight me with? His bare hands?

"You?" I meet Kaneki's surprised eyes and smile.

"So you recognize me? I'm flattered, _Haise,_ but you didn't recognize me earlier. You don't remember me. Tell me, do you know anything about what happened to you in your gaping hole of a memory? Anything at all?"

"Did I…" he hesitates, "Did I know you?"

I place the file back on the shelf. "We are acquainted. You'll probably have a breakdown when you recall where we met, but I do hope you'll come find me when you do. There's much for us to talk about."

"Sasaki, now is not the time to be conversing with the ghoul," the unarmed one reprimands. I analyze him from head to toe. He appears to be pretty strong for a human, but that doesn't do much against a ghoul, let alone a Chimera. He shows no anxiety, though. Confidence almost visibly oozes off of him.

"Our conversation," I coil, prepared to spring, "has no room for you in it!" I lunge, wings spread wide. He reacts at a speed unusual for a human, but that's not what causes me to retreat. A koukaku shoots from his back and twists around his arm as he leaps to meet me. My confidence suddenly drains and I fumble to wrap my bikaku around something to pull me back. We engage on the ground, my mind racing as I desperately ward off this being.

What the fuck? He's a human, my nose doesn't fool me. But if he's not a ghoul, how can he have a working kagune? It would explain the strange smell emitting from Kaneki's group, but how is it even possible? Can a human body even handle controlling RC cells to that extent? Apparently so, but…

This just proves my theory that power is everything. Humans, who hate ghouls, would go as far as to implant ghoul parts into themselves and make themselves partial ghouls to dominate and eliminate the full blooded. They'd doom themselves to fall to the level of their enemy just to gain more strength. When I actually stop and think about it, this game changing move was utterly predictable. Undeniably typical.

Collecting by bearing, I strike with my tail as if it were a serpent. He evades it, but only barely, jumping back and skidding to a stop. Then I'm faced with a bombardment of the team as all four of them bolt into action. I use my wings to keep a few of them at a distance, while holding off the others with my bikaku. With all of them coming at me at once, I have time nor room to fight back. My only option is to defend.

Kaneki is one of those closer to me. He has yet to show any signs of a kagune, although one of the others has released a partial ukaku that isn't nearly as advanced as the koukaku from before. Like ghouls, it makes sense that some humans would also be able to use kagune better than others. Some personalities naturally know how to control it, and others only know how to kill.

The half ghoul keeps looking at me, as I do to him. Perhaps he's trying to remember me, or maybe he's just confused over what I said. Either way, nothing important can be said with all these other pests here.

Sporadically, I shoot my ukaku at one of the close ranged fighters, the girl with the eyepatch. It hits her squarely in the stomach, causing her to cry out and double over. Kaneki practically disregards the danger and dashes to her side. I withdraw my bikaku for the moment, keeping the other two busy with my wings. If I continue my attack on her, I might hit Kaneki. Then again, if I draw his blood, he might revert to his ghoul self.

A grin on my face, I prepare to clout him in the head. Surely, an impact to the skull could do wonders for his memories. If not, his inhuman instincts might still awaken.

Then a click causes me to hesitate, and I have to hurry to block the next incoming attack from the kagune using humans. In the doorway, there's a man with hair as white as Kaneki's from the past. It doesn't take me long to calculate that the suitcase in his hand is opening into a quinque.

"Arima," I hiss. "I guess this is my cue to go." I redirect my bikaku and strike the window, shattering it. Before he can use his weapon, I fall. My falling isn't a straight plunge to the ground, but more of a swinging game. My tail crashes through windows to slow my fall and my wings provide balance, kind of backwards of how it works for birds. And of course I don't travel downwards in a line. If I don't zigzag, my position could be anticipated and they could attack me from within. When I land on the ground, crouching, I shoot a look over my shoulder up at where I fell from.

Arima is at the windowpane, aiming whatever his quinque is down at me. I don't linger to see what it does, darting away as fast as my feet can carry me. My kagunes retract into my skin and I rip off my mask. Stuffing it under my shirt, I release my hair to hide the tears in my shirt where the ukaku broke through. I'm used to my bikaku to the point where I can direct it so it comes out over my pants yet still under the hem of my shirt so nothing has to be replaced. My ukaku, however, I ever so rarely have to use. I don't have to check to know there are two jagged holes on the back of my shirt. That means just one more person I'll have to kill for something other than food. Although, I've been wanting new clothes anyway. These faded blouse and jeans don't do anything with my shoes, and I don't want to get rid of these shoes.

I come to rest at a street corner. As soon as my breath has returned, I burst with laughter. Multiple people turn to stare.

Kaneki has a kakuja! He still does, inactively. I would bet my next ten meals that the shape of his kakuja, centipede as the file described, is because of the bug Yakumo stuck in his ear that one time. Now that I think about it…

I stick my nail into my ear, scraping around and pulling out a dead centipede. I had forgotten Yakumo put that thing in there. I flick it away, stomping it into the ground.

I guess I'll be keeping a close eye on the doves from now on. I _will_ bring Kaneki back, if only temporarily. If only for a fight. I refuse to die until I've seen such grotesque majesty in him again.

I lick my lips, imagining it. I can't wait.

* * *

She was really walking blindly when she went in there, relying mainly on luck. She's confident in how strong she is, but knows when she's met an opponent she can't handle. It would've been pretty pointless had Arima found her before she found what she was looking for. That was just reckless, nothing else. Still, she doesn't give a flip (I'm being nice and trying not to curse) about how badly she gets hurt. Sure, she tries to avoid it, but she'd probably keep going even with a few bullets in her. Then later she'd probably realize how serious it is when she collapses. That's how I feel, but I may not write that so we might not get to see. I passed my writers block! Once I did, I shot off. I wrote a ton, and I'm still at it. I can't wait to update more.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	4. Chapter 4

The auction is actually a really suitable place for her. The idea itself doesn't appeal to her, but in a different circumstance she herself would probably raise havoc. If it entertains her, she doesn't consider it a waste of energy. I've been writing some of the chapters farther down, and I've got to say my heart goes out to Hanako. It's amazing to watch characters develop as you write them. I started off with the simple idea that it'd be fun to write about a ghoul that's lost her mind, but now she's transformed into something so much more. I really am impatient to reveal her past. But I keep scolding myself. Good things come with time, right? It's not good to rush.

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul or the characters from it. And now, on with the show.

* * *

There's no need to find out whether or not the doves will be here. There's no way they'd miss it. A human auction that some unknown hinted them to is something they could never refuse. I might as well have dangled a chunk of bloody meat in front of a savage wolf's muzzle.

From what I've gathered, not only is their target the Big Madame here, but also a ghoul they've nicknamed the Nutcracker. I won't go into the reasons. Violence may not be anything to me, but I prefer to stay away from disturbing sexual...things. Honestly, it's all so gross.

I hope I run into Uta tonight. His scent was hanging around earlier, so I'm sure he's here. I didn't peg him for someone to watch a performance like this, but to each his own. I've yet to express my gratitude for the mask on my face.

The bids aren't really my thing. I usually avoid events like this, and even now I'm only here for the result of this gathering. This auction is bound to be more entertaining than those preluding it. I would be lying, however, if I said that was the only thing I came for. If the doves are coming, so might Kaneki.

I chuckle to myself, the sound drowned out by the rest of the audience. How ironic. He becomes a dove, a bird known for its pure white coloration, once his lovely white hair has been tainted with black. How strange, that his hair changed like that. When he was at first in a state that most consider to be innocent, his hair was black, the color of shadows and evil. And when he became what most consider dirtied, defective, his hair turned into the cleanest and clearest color there is. Oh, he is absolutely _perfect_ in every way, isn't he?

The show begins and the clowns appear on stage. My mouth drops, before I close it and giggle uncontrollably. Uta's a clown! Now that _does_ fit him. If the show itself isn't interesting, he sure as hell is. I think I like Uta. He's such a funny ghoul, and he also has connections to my Kaneki. Apparently, he made that half ghoul's mask. When I pressed him to tell me what it looks like, he told me I'd have to wait and see. That's perfectly fine. I'll see it eventually, one way or another.

They bring humans out one by one, none of them very attractive. Uta announces their different sellings points, such as tenderness or age, before giving a starting price to bid on. All of them smell the same. I yawn, lowering my head and beginning to nod off when a newly familiar smell hits my nose.

"This one smells unique," Uta comments. Sitting on the floor frozen beside him is the female quinx. In my surveillance, I've discovered her to be timid and indecisive. This was the last thing I was expecting. Even if they were going to inject an inspector into the merchandise, she would've been my last guess as to who they'd use. I wonder why they chose her.

Her eyepatch is ripped off to reveal a ghoul eye, earning a collective gasp from the crowd. "A half ghoul," he muses onstage. "Please understand, this will raise her price quite a bit. Let's begin." He has a sharp nose, but not nearly as good as mine. I wouldn't call her a half ghoul, because she's not. She leans more to being human, unlike a real half blood. Still, that eye of hers is nostalgic.

I raise my hand and place the first bid. We'll see just how far this goes. For her, I'll offer money, but I won't pay it. I can't afford anything so expensive. Money might not be a problem for me, but I'm not made of it. I'm only pushing her value up because such a rarity is worth it. Plus, it's laughable to watch rich ghouls waste so much money.

I drop out when it rises above 1.5 million, leaving the big Madame and another to wage war for the prize. Both are persistent, but I believe the big Madame wins. Not that that's a surprise. I can't fathom how much cash that walking fat has stashed away for buying people.

Once that's settled, she's taken from the stage. What are they planning? What can such a unstable inspector do? When the next person is brought out, I understand. They wouldn't send her alone.

This new girl is beautiful, entirely human, but she is a he. He's disguised. The hair is fake, but his eyes and skin is truly lovely. Of course, Uta points out all three of these aspects as pricey factors, but he's interrupted by the 'girl'.

"There's no need to bid," he says, sliding up the skirt of his dress. In a flash he's taken out knives and thrown a number of them into Uta's mask. The mask maker falls back as if dead, but I feel that he's still alive. He's just playing it safe so he can get away later. What else is a clown better for than acting, than putting on a show?

And the chaos begins. I stand, slower than those around me, and adjust my mask to be sure it'll stay on while I'm running. I calmly weave my way to the edge, every now and again whacking others out of my way with my tail. Others release their full kagunes and don't retract them in desperation, which I scoff at. That'll only add to their size and make it harder for them to move about, lessening their chances to escape before the doves swoop in.

Unlike the rest, I don't stampede to the exit doors. No doubt there are doves lying in wait at both the front and back exits. There are smaller, less known ways around this building. Apparently I was the only one clever enough to come and scope out the building beforehand. People are such idiots, whether ghoul or human. I slip deeper into the building for easy access to the side doors, as well as a quieter atmosphere. I breathe in deeply through my nose. Here, there aren't so many things to distract my nose, and it's so much easier to discern scents. It definitely makes me feel more at ease.

In the background, the muffled sounds of screaming can be heard. Most of the human merchandise has probably been evacuated, which is a bit opposite of what it should be. Considering this operation in run by ghouls and for ghouls, I think it would make more sense to get that species to safety first. But no, money is power to all of us, and power comes first in every situation.

Now, where do I find Kaneki? I lift my head, thankful my mask does nothing to hamper my precious sense of smell. Faintly, very faintly, I can identify the presence of multiple ghoulified humans and a single half ghoul. One in particular is separate from the others by a margin, so I assume that is the girl. What was her name again? I'm pretty sure there's another girl on their team whom I've yet to see, but I always get their names mixed up. Was this one Saiko, or Tooru? I think it's Tooru, but I'll have to check again later. I might be wrong.

Perhaps I should pay her a visit. She's all alone, except for a ghoul guard to make sure she doesn't escape. She's a treasure, after all, worth 2 million. I could finish what I started, rip open the wound I gave her a while back and dig into it with my hand and listen to her screeching. I could get rid of her for good, and pick off the others so no one stands in my way of Kaneki. Although, I would still have to deal with Arima and Akira.

At the thought of Arima, my nails draw beads of blood from my palms. Why does he have to be so involved with Kankei? I should have searched for his files while I had the chance. Strolling into that building was a one time thing. I'd have to be an idiot to do it again. Why can't Arima just leave me alone? Why do I keep running into him like this? I swear...I swear when I'm strong enough, I'll rip his heart from his chest while he's still alive and make him watch as I eat it. And then I'll string his veins across his body like christmas lights and cut off his tongue so he chokes on it, and leave him like that for his comrades to find.

 _Later,_ I chide myself. _I will do all of that later, when I can defeat him. For now, focus on finding the halfling._ I let my nose guide me. It seems...His scent is outside the building. First things first, I have to get outside.

I run through a map of the place in my mind, searching through it to find the nearest exit. There should be one in another two left turns, if my memory serves me right.

But then my feet come to a stop, my grin growing on my face. Blood, I smell blood. It isn't just any blood, either. No, there's plenty of that irony smell drifting throughout this building. This is the fragrance of a half ghoul's fresh blood. I break into a run, and when I get to the door, I don't bother to open. I barrel through it, breaking it off of its hinges and sending it flying. Right, Kaneki is to the right.

As I'm running, a group of familiar faces passes me at a distance going in the other direction. I skid, comprehending where I know them. Some of them are from Kaneki's squad, the quinx group. Kaneki isn't with them, so I pick up the pace again. Does that mean he's alone right now? Do I get him all to myself? Oh, this is a wonderful night!

What I see when I arrive is the last thing I wanted to see. There's another half ghoul in a cloak, strangling Kaneki. I start to move forward to attack, but Kaneki twists and escapes from the halfling's grasp. He lands and pauses to catch his breath, which the other allows as he rambles on about being second. I almost laugh and give away my presence. Is he really taking the time to talk about his _feelings?_ His _insecurities?_ But that is soon replaced with the half ghoul's kagune piercing Kaneki. Now this, this is what I came to see. Strangulation would just kill him, but if Kaneki is driven far enough into a corner, he'll be forced to use his full strength to survive. Let me see it, _Haise Sasaki,_ the monster that you truly are! Show me the power you as _Kaneki Ken_ possess!

He's grabbed by his assailant and dragged as the partial ghoul dashes with enough speed to scale the building. Taking action myself, I follow. Instead of taking the risk of running vertically, though, I choose to climb a nearby tree and jump onto the roof. They've broken through it, and both have gone through the gaping hole and are on the stage. Everyone has of course cleared out. Who would be there, after all? The ghouls were scared away by the arrival of the doves, and the doves follow after the ghouls like a bird hunting a moth.

Kaneki is tossed about like a ragdoll as the half ghoul mocks him, repeating the word 'weak' over and over. He's laughing at his weakness, but I don't. Kaneki isn't weak. I had thought the same at first, and found out just how terribly wrong I was when he took out Yakumo. Yes, he was pathetic when we met, but no more. His potential is lying in wait. He's just waiting to be released from the prison called Haise. And I eagerly await his freedom.

"Why are you holding back Sasaki?" the halfling inquires hysterically. "No, Kaneki Ken?"

At the sound of his name, Kaneki tenses. He recognizes it, I know he does. Tasting blood in my mouth, I discover I've bitten my lip from excitement. Will today be the day his cell is unlocked?

Then the screaming begins and I flinch. I can't tell if it's the result of Kaneki resisting his return to reality, or if it's of the pain being inflicted upon him, but it strikes a chord within me with agonizing accuracy.

 _Kiyoko_

Panic rising in me, I prepare to step in when Kaneki is wrenched away from the half ghoul by a full blooded ghoul.

"Why are you interfering, Hina?" the half blood growls. She converses with him, reasoning with the unreasonable halfling. Of course, such a lost soul doesn't listen. He only gets angry. I giggle a little, despite the terror inside that hasn't quite died down yet. Many people have called me insane, but this partial ghoul is the true epitome of insanity. At least I still retain my ability to think logically.

It doesn't take long for this Hina ghoul to throw the half ghoul to the floor, but he regenerates. To my delight, once he's healed, the mask of a kakuja appears on his face. Another kakuja! I must be the luckiest ghoul alive! Such a privilege it is to meet so many insatiable ghouls hungering for that which is most prevalent in this world.

The tables are turned as soon as this fact is exposed, and Hina is soon panting on the ground in shambles. Her face is so dejected I can't help but chuckle. She might be strong, but she doesn't eat her own kind. She lacks the drive to go as far as to cannibalize for power, which is too bad. It's not like she can progress much farther without doing that.

And then, Kaneki stands before her, between her and the kakuja.

"I'm not the person you knew before," he tells her. "I'm Haise Sasaki. I'm sure Kaneki was a wonderful person to be remembered this way. So, it's okay if I disappear." What he says next is more to himself, and leaves my practically jumping up and down with glee. "So please, give me the power to protect."

* * *

Kiyoko. There's an interesting topic I'm not going into right now. You'll figure it out later. Here's a question I'm curious about. Does anyone watch Scorpion? It's a TV show about a group of geniuses. I don't think it gets nearly enough recognition. If it interests you, I highly recommend you check it out. I'm actually watching it right now. It makes it hard to type this, so I'm gonna stop. I'll update again in a few days.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	5. Chapter 5

Well, I just watched a video on how the anime industry is failing. It is. It's crashing, bad. When I say bad, I mean like that the top selling anime DVD for this summer's anime sold around 7000 copies. That's in Japan and America. Yes, 7000 is a large number, but not when you're talking media. This in minuscule in comparison to the number these studios need to stay open. Now, I'm extremely guilty of watching free anime online. I myself don't actually own a single anime DVD. But now I'm going to go and buy a ton because the studio that put out an anime I _really_ liked this summer is going bankrupt. Seriously, people! Anime is already a niche entertainment. Without a lot of support from the few of us who love it, it can't survive! Spread the word, or at least go buy merchandise. Yes, it can be expensive, but would you rather it disappear?

Now that I've finished ranting, you can enjoy the _free_ merchandise of Tokyo Ghoul that I've created.

* * *

My eyes widen as Kaneki unleashes his Kakuja. Lovely, it's beautiful! It's only for a second before the shape or the kakuja fades, but the imprint of power is left behind.

"Mommy! Daddy! I'm sorry! I can't help it!" His words take me aback. Is that really the first thing he says after emerging? He's apologizing to his parents? For what? For gaining strength? For living in this brutal world? Why is that so significant?

Following his apology, his movements become like magic. I can barely keep track of him as he flows from one place to the next, battling against his opponent. It doesn't matter that they're both half bloods. Kaneki is so much more than that other. I know this, but I have no idea as to why. Technically, they should be on the same level, but there's a breathtaking determination in Kaneki that boosts him up. Where does he get it from?

Even so, the half blood holds his own and gains the upper hand. As I watch, Kaneki is pinned down. And then...I scream joyfully when he bites the out of control kakuja. He turns the other half ghoul into a shish-kabob with his rinkaku, using each and every one of his tentacle kagunes to stab him through.

My heart drops when I see that other investigators have arrived. They've surrounded the girl, Hina. When I look back to the scene, the odd partial ghoul is gone and Kaneki is left staggering. What? Is that it? It's over just like that? Where did the other one vanish to? Will I not at least get the chance to talk to this ghoul Hina about Kaneki? She obviously knew him before.

And then snow white hair causes my heart to jolt back into thumping, and thumping hard. My blood is angry. The investigators have parted to make way for Arima so he can finish off the girl. My pulse audible in my ears, I make my decision. Hina doesn't look like she can take any more fighting, and I don't want to witness that demon slay another person. His history suggests he can and will do it without question.

I drop from my perch on the roof, landing squarely in front of the girl. "Don't touch her," I hiss, standing ready to fight.

"Who-" Hina's question is interrupted by the voices of nearby investigators.

"The Queen has appeared!"

I smirk. Queen, huh? They could've given me a terrible nickname, but I actually approve of that one. It's probably due to Uta's mask. If I ever see him again, I'll have to do more than thank him. Maybe I'll do him a favor of some sort.

"Wait," Kaneki requests, "I cornered them both. Can I have ownership rights?" Cornered? If you want to call it that, he might have cornered Hina, but me? He didn't even know I was here until I came down here.

Arima appraises him, doubtful. For once, I can't blame him. I'm just as untrusting. Finally, he turns and walks away. "Inform them that Sasaki from the Mado squad is injured."

I let myself be taken by the doves, but stick close to Hina anyway. She's the entire reason I revealed myself. I wish to talk with her. They don't treat us gently, but it's not like I thought they would. The ride back to their containment centers is longer than I'd like, and I fall asleep leaning against the girl. I awake when she shifts, signalling me we've arrived. We're pushed from the vehicle and brought inside. I cooperate until they try to remove my mask. It takes all of my control not to rip them through with my bikaku, and I just swat their hands away growling.

"I keep it," I insist. "I'll go without trouble unless you take it." They decide it's more beneficial if no one dies and let me continue wearing it. We're almost separated into different cells, but I avoid that by throwing a fit. My fits aren't your usual five year old hissy fits. I don't whine and cry. I state what it is I want, and if it's not given to me, I allow my kagunes to run rampant. They relent before I can seriously harm anyone.

Our prison in tiny, nothing more than a bed and a bathroom. There's a window with a speaker, which I assume is used to interrogate ghouls like us. The lighting is sparse as well, keeping us barely visible to each other.

I curl up on the bed, tired, but Hina doesn't move from her place near the door. "Why did you do that?" she asks me.

I yawn. "Do what?"

"Give yourself up? You could've easily slipped away without getting noticed."

"Oh, that," I grumble, forcing myself to sit up. "I did it because I wanted to talk with you. Were you close to Kaneki before he lost his memory?"

This causes her to pause. "We knew each other. Who are you?"

"Hanako Himura. Does it really matter? I want Kaneki back, and I imagine you do, too." I sit up, glaring at her through the darkness. "It might help if you tell me about him, Hina."

"My name is Hinami," she quips like a child. Now that I think about it, she's actually pretty young, isn't she? Younger than I am by quite a bit, I'd say. She has an older aura about her, though. "You still haven't told me how you know Big Brother."

I snort. "Big Brother? Him?" Images of his tearing Yakumo apart float across my mind, and I shiver. It's hard not to react to that memory, the way it embedded itself into me. The power he revealed to me that day was like a needle in my brain. It took everything to an entirely different stage for me. Yes, I can see how anyone would admire him, but see him as an older brother? Even if they're blood related, wouldn't most people reject siblings like him?

"Big Brother used to help me read." She lowers her voice, emotion rising in her words. Geez, I didn't ask her to get all sentimental. "He was always really kind to me. Big Sister would always get mad at him, but I don't think she was really angry most of the time."

"Kaneki has another sister?"

"No, Big Brother and Big Sister and I aren't related." She appears to catch herself, and forces her voice to return to normal. I hold myself back from clapping. Good, I don't want to hear any of that sappy crap. "Where do you know him from?"

"Well since you asked," I chuckle, "I'll tell you. When I first met him, I couldn't see. I was blind, and the only thing I could hear from him were his screams. He pleaded so pitifully for Yakumo to leave him alone. Do you know who Yakumo is? Perhaps you'll recognize him if I call him Yamori. Of course, his cries were ignored. When I first _saw_ your big brother, blood was pooled on the floor around him and he had tear stains on his face. He wasn't crying. His tear ducts must've dried up before my eyes grew back. I couldn't see his fingers, but his toes were all missing and still dripping red. I could see the white of his fragile bones...Ah, do you think they'll give us RC suppressants here?"

Hinami doesn't speak, but she doesn't complain either. She actually comes and sits beside me on the bed.

"You're not normal," I note. "Wouldn't most people yell at me to stop or tell me how disgusting I am?" My nose twitches. "Oh, wait. You're crying. I can smell the salt."

"You're not disgusting," she corrects me, "just heartless."

I sigh. "That's another one I hear a lot. I do have a heart, though. If you want, I can rip open my chest and show you. I've done it before. It only takes a few days to close up if you do it right."

"Please don't," she grimaces.

I stare at her for a moment, trying to decipher her expression through the darkness. Giving up, I lean back until I hit the wall.

"So now I've told you what I know about Kaneki. Do me the pleasure of telling me what _you_ know about him, now. You may or may not have caught on by now, but I'm not the most sympathetic person when I'm not given what I want."

She takes in a deep breath before beginning. "Manager took Kaneki in after he was surgically made into a half ghoul. There was an accident, in where a ghoul chasing Kaneki was killed by a falling beam in a construction zone. To save Kaneki, they implanted her organs into him. So-"

"What ghoul was after him?" I wonder. I'm not sure if I'm angry with this ghoul, or thankful to them.

"Her name was Rize. Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?"

"I heard about her. She was a binge eater, wasn't she? Continue."

Hinami waits to be sure I'm done talking, but I wave for her to go on. She does, whether she sees the motion or not. "So then Kaneki became a waiter at Anteiku."

"That cafe? The one known for serving both humans and ghouls that closed down?"

"I was saying," she lets it lie, "that he struggled between being human or ghoul. The difference between the two is massive. He was leaning more towards human until...Yamori happened."

"I see! And while held captive, he embraced his ghoul side and found the dauntless power that came with being a partial ghoul. I'm right, am I not? And to top it off, he became a kakuja!" I fall sideways onto the bed, giggling. "Kaneki, you keep getting better and better don't you? Tell me more!"

"That was more than enough," Hinami states, standing and going to the opposite corner. "I don't exactly want you chasing after Big Brother. You're insane."

I think for a minute. "Alright, fine. I'll let you off because of the information you already gave me. I'm not insane, though, Hinami. Don't ever accuse me of that again, or I won't be the safest roommate. I never want to hear that word directed at me again."

"You're not the boss of me," she pouts.

I grin. "I'm older than you. That makes me the boss. How old are you anyway, kid?"

"Sixteen."

"That's a good age. I think I'm gonna sleep now. I don't mind if you share the bed, but be sure not to kick me in my sleep. My bikaku is very reflexive when I'm asleep. It hits anything that's too close."

I face the wall, not caring to slip under the covers. This might not be the nicest place to sleep, but I've slept in worse conditions. It's only slightly too warm for sheets. I drift from reality, blending into a dream.

" _Misa, do you like flowers?"_

 _I look up at the little blond girl standing by my side. We're in a field by the school that's always filled with butterflies, the sky blue and cloudless. "Not really. They're kind of annoying, growing everywhere. They always pop up around the apartments where nobody planted them."_

" _Oh." Her face falls. "I made you a crown, though. It's made of flowers." Seeing her dejected expression, I sigh, then show her a smile._

" _I like crowns, though. Won't you show me?"_

 _She brightens until her grin shines as bright as the sun. From behind her back, she pulls a wreath of crimson spider lilies._

 _I gasp, scrambling to my feet. The spider lilies fall from her hands, turning to blood as they drop to the ground. She collapses in front of me, eyes rolling back in her head and flesh decaying. The field snaps into an old warehouse, with boarded windows that shut out the sun. I scream, turning to run and screeching to a halt when I nearly collide with a mirror. In it, I'm reflected. Both of my kagunes are out and at the ready, my eyes black and red. My hair falls loose around my shoulders, without the stripe of white. It's me, completely normal when ready for a fight. But there's one more thing, one thing out of the ordinary that causes me to collapse screeching._

 _Around my head is a crown of blood red spider lilies._

* * *

I wrote this, and I felt like someone was staring at me and whispering constantly, 'what the hell are you writing?' I mean, it's weird writing such obvious horror material. I feel awkward doing it, even though at the same time I like to and it comes to me naturally. Has anyone else noticed a trend? Throughout most of my books, there's always a flower. I've looked a bit into the Japanese language of the flowers, but none of this stuff comes from that. I just pick one I think will work. I didn't plan it, but the flowers just sort of weaseled their way into my writing. This time, it's spider lilies. I chose them for a multitude of different reasons, from their color to their appearance in the actual anime itself. I'm not sure if there'll be any outside of her nightmares, though. We'll see.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	6. Chapter 6

Someone mentioned they want to see more of Hanako's background, to know why she's the way she is. All I'm going to say is that I've already formulated her back story, and you won't be disappointed. At least, I hope you won't be. I put a lot of thought into it. I've grown to absolutely adore Hanako, as I do with most of my characters. I would like to be able to say that if she was real, we'd be close friends, but she'd be more likely to rip my head from my body. She's not the type to get all friendly towards people. I wonder if you guys will get the message I'm trying to send. It's not really a lesson or anything, but I've come up with two adjectives that describe her life perfectly. I won't tell either one directly, but it's my hope that at least a few of you will understand her.

Now on with the story!

* * *

Someone must've injected us with RC suppressants while we slept, because I wake with the feeling of it heavy in my veins. Hinami acts sluggish, indicating they gave her a dose as well. I'm not tired, unlike her. I have no reason to be, even with the extra suppressants weighing me down. I've had them in my system too many times for it to really bother me. That, and the fact they wear off unusually fast on me. It's nothing that strange. I have a natural resistance to them, just like some human would have a natural resistance to an antibiotic. It's not something that happens to everyone, but I'm sure there are other ghouls like that out there. It's just that not every ghoul has it injected into them to test to see if it'll affect them.

A light blinks on and I rub my eyes. Hinami hides her face. Outside the window that I've judged to be much thicker than a normal window, a blond woman sits silently, staring at us.

"Is this bulletproof glass?" I question, tapping it loudly. Hinami groans, but the woman doesn't budge. "I suppose you're an inspector, aren't you?"

"My name is Akira Mado, and I've been given permission to interrogate the both of you before Haise Sasaki gets the chance."

So this is the infamous Akira, the daughter of that troublesome investigator Mado from way back when. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Mado. Would it be so much trouble to provide us with a chair so I can sit while we talk?"

She twitches, and I grin. "I'll have it brought later." Meaning when we're again asleep. "What is your name? Because I don't wish to address you as the Queen."

"But I like that name," I sulk. "If you _have_ to know, you can call me Ms. Himura, Ms. Mado." I hold a finger to my lips. "First name classified. And besides, this is business! You don't have to know my last name because we'll be referring to each other with our last names, respectively."

She mumbles something about it being a 'waste of time', but continues on anyway. "Okay then, Ms. Himura. I should start with asking what ward you're from."

"Oh, I'm not from any ward, Ms. Mado," I reply flippantly. "I'm a traveler. It's too boring to spend my entire life in one place. Is that all you have to ask?"

"Why were you at the auction last night?"

"No, that's not right," I frown. "use my name, Ms. Mado."

Her jaw tightens. "Why were you at the auction last night, Ms. Himura?"

"If I said boredom, how would you respond, Ms. Mado?"

"I would say," she moves a piece of hair that has escaped from her updo, "that I don't believe you. I would like if you at least took this seriously."

I chuckle. "You're right not to believe me. That's a lie. The auction was actually tiresome itself until they brought that girl Tooru out. I recognized her as an inspector immediately. I'm sure you have records that mention my little break in to your nest."

"Ms. Himura, why did you break into the ghoul investigators' building? What was your purpose?"

"Same reason I went to the auction," I giggle. "I want to know about Kaneki."

She looks down at her papers, pretending to read them. In actuality, she's only searching for how she should respond. "Are you referring to the missing college student, Kaneki Ken? What does he have to do with any of this? Enlighten me, Ms. Himura."

"Do you really think you're hiding anything from me?" I scoff. "Ms. Mado, I don't know everything, but unfortunately for you, I know what you so desperately want to keep from everyone. You're scared of what I'll tell _Haise Sasaki._ You want to know that neither of us will jog his memories back. You're afraid of how powerful he is as a half ghoul." She listens to me with a straight face, but I don't need to see a reaction to know I'm getting to her. "Well, Hina-chan won't say anything. How can you trust me? You can't. I'm just saying she'll do whatever it takes to spend more time with him. Me, on the other hand, I don't care how much time I spend with him. I just want to see him remember everything. I want to see him remember _me_."

When she realizes I'm finished, she gathers herself back together. "Why are you convinced Haise is Kaneki, and why do you want him to remember so badly, Ms. Himura?"

"One question at a time, please," I request. I tap my nose. "This, this right here never fails me. My nose knows. Were you even aware that Tooru was a girl? I knew the second I saw his face and smelled his scent that it was him. He has a different scent than those fake ghouls you made. He's the only one you have who is truly half and half, so take good care of him. You won't find any better."

"And my other question, Ms Himura?"

"I want him to remember," my grin widens until my cheeks hurt, "because I want to see that fire again. I want to see that drive, and the authority he wields over other ghouls. He's a piece of art, Ms. Mado, a wonderful piece of work. I've never seen such destructive power!"

She stands to go, but thinks of one more thing. "You said you could tell by the smell. Is our quinx group that easily recognizable?"

"Of course not." I shake my head. "I'm special, Ms. Mado. Very special." She accepts this as a closure, and glances behind me to where Hinami is. She's still barely awake, drowsy because of the RC suppressants. She'll get used to them soon enough.

"I'll be back tomorrow to talk with you. I'll also bring the decision of what will be done with you, Ms. Himura. Enjoy the rest of today, because I foresee an execution sentence." She goes and the light dies down again, leaving me to wake up Hinami. What a dreary way to end a conversation.

"Hinami, do you have any information to help pass the time? Give me some more and I'll let you live today, too."

"You won't kill me," she mutters, stretching. I can see the difference from how she moved yesterday. She was so lively, dangerous, but now she's like any other kid. I yank her to her feet, grabbing her by the throat and dragging her face close to claws at my hands.

"I wouldn't be too sure if I were you," I breathe in her face. I release her and listen to her cough from her place collapsed on the ground. "It's not like you can defend yourself in that state."

"What...do you mean," she chokes, rubbing her throat where my fingers were.

"The reason for your drowsiness," I inform her, "is RC suppressants. Yakumo used to use them on me weekly, if not daily."

"Is that why you still have all your energy? You're used to it?"

I shrug. "Part of it. Now, entertain me. Who's this older sister of yours?" I can feel her upset gaze, even if I can't see it. Pride driving her, she pushes to her feet and forces herself to stop coughing.

"Her name is Touka. She was also a waiter at Anteiku, long before Big Brother came along. I knew her before I went to live with them."

"You lived with them? Your parents get caught by doves?"

She nods, getting off that subject as fast as she can. "I relied on them after that, Big Brother and Big Sister. Big Sister was always studying, and I look up to her for that. School wasn't really an option for me, but she went and tried her hardest even among humans. Big Brother spent more time with me, probably because he had a hard time going to school after the incident. He gave me new books, and taught me how to read new and difficult kanji. Big Brother adored books. His love of them always made me feel better."

"So you can both read?" Kaneki isn't that surprising, considering he used to be human, but it isn't simple for ghouls to get education. There are plenty of ghoul parents who try to send their kids to school, but not all of them succeed. For young children especially, it's straining to blend in as humans. "I can, too. I don't know many other ghouls who can, though."

"Reading is fun, isn't it?" I can't see her clearly in the dim lighting, but I have a feeling she's smiling.

I kick the wall, growing bored. "It can be, depending on the story."

The day passes, slow and uneventful. Hinami and I exchange a few conversations, but after the one about reading, none of them really go anywhere. Both of us just lollygag, every now and again pacing from one wall to another. Hinami never really gets over the heaviness of the suppressant in her blood, and eventually she crawls into the bed and falls sound asleep. After a few more minutes, I go to the corner and sit, putting my head in my arms. I slow my breathing and stay as still as I can, matching my inhales and exhales to Hinami's.

After a good while, the door opens. It doesn't make a sound, but I can tell because I smell a human and the temperature drops ever so slightly. I keep acting, catching the bump of something being set down. I crack open one eye.

It's a man, a dove with a quinque out and ready. He's stepping away from a chair he's set in the middle of the floor. He wasn't dumb enough to leave the door open behind him, but I don't need that. Now I know for certain that they're watching us. I doubt they have microphones on the inside of our cell, though, since it's only meant for one ghoul. A single ghoul doesn't talk about vital things to himself. I'm sure there are microphones that are on the other side. That way they can record what the investigator says, and anything else we're stupid enough to talk loud about. I made sure we kept our voices down today. I don't know if Hinami noticed, but she equaled my quiet voice whether she realized it or not.

I don't move, keeping my single eyes vigilant. He doesn't turn away from us as he opens the door. I release my bikaku, snaking it across the edge of the floor. That is this place's fatal flaw. It's light enough that they can see our general shapes and know where we are, but if our kagunes were to blend into one of the obvious shapes they wouldn't be able to spot it. They do give us suppressants, but not nearly often enough to do me any damage.

Before he shuts the door behind him, I fit my tail into the space between the door and the wall, molding it so the door still locks itself shut. Only now, all I have to do is put pressure on my tail and it'll open. I'm patient. I wait for all sounds to have dissipated so I can only hear my heartbeat, and so every human scent from nearby is old at newest.

Then I lift my head. "Hinami, are you coming with me?"

She shifts, mumbling, "Where?"

"Out. I came to talk with you, and now I'm done. I have no desire to spend any longer in their isolation than I have to."

She snuggles back into the bed. "I'll stay."

I stand. I thought that's what she'd say. I wrench my tail back and the door is thrown open. No alarm sounds because it's not broken, but I'm sure someone watching through the camera is seeing this. I sprint, breaking through door after door. They're thick metal, but if you aim for the areas between the door and the wall you can rip them out in one piece. The echo of rushing footsteps can be heard back where I came from.

When I break down the last door and arrive outside, I turn around and shout, "You should really thank me! I've pointed out some major flaws in your lousy security!" Then I pick up my speed again and run as far as I can. When my legs get tired, I use my bikaku to help push or pull me along.

Lost, I retract all my kagune and remove my mask. My face has been sweating for a while now. That room didn't seem to have any air conditioning, so keeping my plastered on wasn't the best choice. I wouldn't want them to see my face, though. Once I figure things out, I'll take this to Uta and have him make sure the mask is still in prime shape. I hope I haven't been too hard on it.

I'm going to have to lie low until this settles down. It'll take time for an escaped ghoul to be pushed back on the priorities list of theirs. I guess I'll go back to base until things clear up enough. What ward did I construct that in again? Never mind, I'll find it somehow.

Now, I'm hungry. Where can I go around here to grab a quiet midnight snack?

* * *

This is the second time she's figuratively given the ghoul inspectors a middle finger. I find it amusing that they just can't seem to handle her. She does too, but it actually annoys her as well. Her thoughts are somewhat along the lines of, 'Isn't this their job? Do they all have rocks for brains or something?' They should be careful she doesn't come and tear one of their skulls open to check to see if they have an actual brain or not. She can't really stand those less intelligent than her, if you haven't noticed. Knowledge is another form of strength to her, so she loves to learn. Despite that, she still doesn't like schools. She gets the feeling all the teachers are idiots. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm kind of busy today. I'll post again in a couple of days.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	7. Chapter 7

So I was making a board game earlier today and sat back, realized how sloppy it was, and liked it. I mean, it looked like it was made by a five year old, but it was cute! I made the rest of it with that theme in mind, and really, it's like a kid could've made it. Am I weird for liking how it looks? I like a lot of cute things, actually. Dolls, for example. I should probably throw out those old dolls I haven't touched since I was eight, but I just have too many memories attaching me to them. I did recently get these two antique Japanese dolls from my grandma who's moving, which are extremely cool. One of them has a katana, and the other has a Japanese instrument I can never remember the name of. I named them Fumiko and Hana. Stuffed animals, too, I have a hard time letting go of. They're just stashed in the corners...I really hope I'm not becoming a hoarder.

Enough of my rambling. Presenting, chapter seven!

* * *

" _MISA!" The girl barrels into me and I barely manage to catch her without falling over backwards._

" _What is it this time?" I ask gently, petting her hair. She buries her head into my shirt, her tears soaking through it. Her hands are shaking violently, as are her knees._

 _She hiccups. "Sakura hit me again! She said my mommy was worthless, so I must be, too!"_

" _Hey, hey." I push her back carefully. She looks up at me, sniffling as I examine the purple area blooming by her right eye. "Where is she? We can't let her get away with being mean, can we?"_

 _Her lips transform into a wobbling smile through her tears. "No, we can't. Superhero Misa stops the bad guys!"_

" _Yup! Now let's go find the bad guy!" I slide my hand into hers and she begins to lead me. We end up behind the elementary school, where there's a couple of older girls loitering. They're in the year above us, and they always bully this girl clinging to me. Usually, I let them off with a warning to tell on them. They haven't stopped, though. And when people are being bad, Superheroes stop them. I don't think I'm all that super, but_ she _seems convinced so._

 _The older girl called Sakura stands. "What do you want, pipsqueaks? Gonna tattle on us again?"_

 _I step away from the girl, ball my fist, and swing with all I have. Sakura goes flying back, hitting the concrete with a dull thud. She groans, hands going up to her head. Then she starts crying._

" _That hurt! You meanie!"_

" _You hit my friend, so you get hit, too!" I spit._

 _All of her friends help her to her feet, then one shouts, "Is that blood?" Sakura takes her hands away from her head, revealing a couple drops of red. They gasp, but I smirk with satisfaction. I returned the pain, doubled._

" _Don't bother us again!" I command. Their heads nod up and down like bobbleheads and I take the girl my age away, letting the older ones decide what to do with their wounded friend. I stumble when I'm suddenly attacked with two arms wrapping around me._

" _You saved the day, Misa!" She pulls back, grinning brightly. "Maybe we should make you a theme song! Every Superhero needs a theme song!" I smile back, closing my eyes and laughing softly. When I open them, my breath hitches. Dark red seeps from her eyes, nose and mouth. Her smile fades._

" _Misa?" she inches closer as I struggle to break free of her grasp. "Misa, what's wrong?" I yank away, and with me comes her hand. It tears from her arm still attached to my shirt. I rip it off and throw it away, trembling. "Misa, why can't I see you?" Her eyes turn completely scarlet before splashing out of their sockets. She gropes to grab ahold of me, but I keep scrambling backwards. "Misa, where are you? Where did you go? Misa, I'm scared! Misa, come back! I'm scared!"_

 _Instead of tears, blood so dark it's nearly black flows from where her brown eyes used to rest. "I'm scared! It's dark and I can't see!" She begins to hack, red spurting from her mouth and onto me. "Hel...p me...Misa!"_

I scream, eye flying wide. I jolt upright in bed, hands gripping my hair so hard my skull hurts. My teeth chatter, lips quivering and I can't catch my breathe. I make myself close my eyes, biting my cheek to draw blood. The taste sends pulses of relaxation through me until I'm able to still myself and remove my hands from my head.

Taking a look out the dirtied window, It's obvious the sun hasn't even so much as kissed the horizon yet. I throw of my covers, shivering, and light a candle. I light a few more, spreading them around the room. The boards beneath my feet creak with every step, until the room is well enough lit for me to see which boards remain in okay shape. This house is due to be demolished next week, so I'll have to move before then, but for a while now this has served as my base to return to.

I light one more candle, carrying it with me as I draw the curtain shut. It wouldn't be good if someone were to see the lights here. Then I tiptoe over to the bookshelves. I run my finger along the file names, stopping when I come to one labeled Noriko Himura. I linger for a moment before skimming over it and picking up a file filled with my findings on the cafe :RE.

Really, nothing seems to be misplaced. Touka has covered her connection to Anteiku well, as has the other one. I haven't discovered his name yet, but I'm sure he used to be affiliated with the old cafe. I don't really care for him as much as Touka. Hinami described Kaneki and Touka as friends. She also mentioned a person named Hide at one point, but I hadn't thought much of it. I should've pressed her to tell me more. I didn't even find out whether that person is a human or a ghoul. Just a single name is not much to go off of. I've sent out ghouls to search for information on him, but so far nothing significant has showed up. The only thing I've been told so far is that they went to the same college. No one seems to know where he is, or his definite species. He's listed as a human, but so are a large portion of ghouls.

I close the file, sighing. I've already read through this file repeatedly. Something I don't already know is not going to magically appear, no matter how many times I open and close it. Trading it, I take out a file about a gourmet eater that apparently got associated with Kaneki at one point. It's not hard to imagine why. Even if Kaneki _is_ half ghoul, it's only half. I bet he tastes delicious. He already smells magnificent. What is it about Kaneki that attracts so many ghouls to him? First he gets the attention of the binge eater, Rize, and then a gourmet. He's also got me trailing after him.

What makes him so powerful? I've seen him with only his rinkaku, but I've also seen the shadow of his kakuja. I want to see it so bad, the centipede coiled with strength more potent than a serpent's. I want to fight him. How will we last against each other? And which one of us would win? How would our fighting styles fit together?

Since I'm no longer paying any attention to the words on the paper, I close the file and place it back on the shelf. I'm making myself salivate with anticipation. It's been too long since I've seen Kaneki. It was over a year ago, at least. I've been in hiding ever since escaping, so my chances have been limited. Limited as in nonexistent. For the first week or so, I overate and had to jump from one ward to the next to avoid getting caught. Hunting kept my mind distracted so I didn't do anything stupid. I can't count on my fingers how many I ate in those seven days.

I've been getting more business than ever, though, because of that. More ghouls began noticing how well I get away with things and I've been raking in money since.

Hunting for others is tiring, though. It makes adequate money, but I don't really enjoy doing it since I don't eat the prey myself. I just stash the customer's favorite organs in a bag and leave the body like that. I never let them see my face, and I don't see most of theirs when we meet to trade the meat for money. It's the same as when I meet with informants to buy what they know. Ghouls are a bit like homeless people. We have eyes all over, and see quite a lot, but people don't always notice us.

I rub my eyes, trying to make the ache in them dissipate. Ever since Yakumo last dug out my eyeballs, they've been hurting at least once a month. As far as I've heard, it's kind of like a period. I say 'as far as I've heard' because I've never had one. Is that weird? It's not really something I'm interested in or feel like I have to know about. I wonder if they hurt because they miss being squished and mashed and ripped out.

I glance down at a box that sits by the bookcase. It used to be just sitting atop a dumpster, but I figured it would be handy when I need to move. It's been with me for the last three places I've stayed. I look between it and the files before beginning to remove them from the bookshelf. It has started to get light outside. I'll probably wait until everyone is at school and work to leave through the back door, so until then, I stack the files neatly in the cardboard box. When I finish, I step back with regret. This bookshelf was the best spot I've had so far to keep these papers. I kind of wish I could bring it with me. It's not like I'm leaving today, though. I can afford to keep sleeping here for a few more nights.

I peek under the curtains, checking the sun as it rises. I have an informant to meet up with some time around eight, and a customer to deliver to at noon. Considering I'll have to walk to both of the meeting points, I should probably head out early.

As it gradually grows brighter outside, I put out the candles one by one. Instead of blowing them out, I pinch the flames between my fingers. It's a waste of breath to exhale so much. I've disliked blowing out candles for as long as I can remember, and so did my dad. I think I got it from him.

Once they've all been put out, I set them together on the bedside table and slip on my shoes. I'm cautious to avoid the windows as I make my way to the back door of the house and sneak away. I'll return after sundown. Just to be sure, I check that I have everything before going too far. In one pocket I have the cash for more information on Anteiku, and in the other I have a bag of frozen fingers ordered by some gal ghoul. Under my shirt I have my mask. The fingers are not exactly frozen. I just had them in a container of ice back at base so they didn't rot too bad. Hopefully they won't begin to smell as I walk around town. I don't exactly want to smell like death. It's a pretty unpleasant aroma, no matter what species is doing the dying.

I keep a hood up to hide my distinguishable hair. They didn't see my face while I was in confinement, but the white stripe was still showing. I haven't seen anyone else with a single white stripe of hair like that, so it's definitely a recognizable trait.

The day is warm, moisture heavy in the air. It just rained yesterday, so I can still smell its scent. The sky is blue and white, clouds fluffed here and there. The breeze is soft, just enough to rustle my clothes. It's exactly the sort of day I despise.

* * *

This one just gives you a peek into Hanako's everyday life. Other than the beginning, it's pretty uneventful, but I like it. However out of it she is, she's still a functional person. I've begun thinking about what I'll write after finishing this one, and I would like to say I'm thinking about Full Metal Alchemist, but I'm not going to confirm anything. I tend not to stick to my original plan, as you would know if you've followed my writing. It has crossed my mind recently that there're a lot of authors who stick to a few select different animes. I don't think that'll work for me, though. Once I imagine an original character into an anime, that's _their_ anime. Like, Hanako belongs to Tokyo Ghoul and vice versa. I won't be writing another fanfic on this. If this disappoints you, sorry. That's just what works for me. Anyway, I can't wait to finish this one! I am at a bit of a writer's block at the moment, but it'll pass.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	8. Chapter 8

I hate Sundays. I just do. Everything I have to do, whether it be a chore or getting crickets for my lizard, I push it all onto Sundays so I can relax the other days of the week. Maybe that's not the best way for some people, but in my opinion I'd rather have one day of ultimate stress than stress every day of the week. That balanced imbalance is what suits me best. Saturdays are the best, though. Those days, there's no school _and_ I have nothing to do! Yes, yes, I'm lazy. Got a problem with that? Don't worry, so do my parents. But they can't complain. I'm a master at getting things done that are needed. Unlike some brother of mine...

Onto the story!

* * *

The bell jangles as I shove the door open and walk in. I take a counter seat and set my backpack next to me, seeing the waitress busy. The man behind the counter stops cleaning the cup in his hands and glances over at me. My arms crossed, I lean forward.

"Black, please." He silently obeys my request, grinding the beans before my eyes. I pay attention with nothing better to do. I can't drag away Touka from her customers. It'll be easier if she's in a pleasant mood, so she'll answer my questions. I could always force the information from her, but that would be such a waste of energy. She'd most definitely fight back. It's not that I doubt my ability to beat her, but it would be so much more convenient if she just answers when I ask.

When I'm handed my coffee, the man warns me that it's hot. I completely disregard him and put it to my lips. Within seconds of putting it down, my lip regenerates the few layers of skin the liquid burned through. A few more second pass and my tastebuds return. Even humans heal relatively quickly from small mouth wounds, so why shouldn't ghouls? I really hate the taste of coffee, so I only ever drink it when it's scorching hot. That way, I only have to taste it for a split second before I lose that sense. Tastebuds regenerate quickly, though, so I never really lose anything. I just don't have to taste the liquid.

A hand slaps a notepad on the counter by my arm and I look up, watching as Touka slides into the seat next to me. The man asks if she wants anything, but she dismisses him. It makes me wonder whether she does this often. Either she must sit and drink with the customers every once in awhile, or him asking is just so robotic that he asks even if he's aware the answer is no.

"Why are you here?" she inquires, her eyes suspicious.

"For information," I tell her, taking a wad of bills out of my pocket. "I can pay you."

"We don't do business like that here," she says. Her face suggests the mere notion insults her.

I stuff the money away. "Okay, I won't pay you, then. It'll just be us talking like old friends. You did invite me to come any time I like, didn't you? I promise not to bother the customers this time."

"And what makes you think I'll tell you what you want to know?" she scoffs.

"Because I'll trade you," I smile. I keep my eyes locked on the ripples in my drink, knowing what her reaction will be without looking. "It's been some time since you've heard anything on your little sister, hasn't it?"

I take another drink before she asks, "What are you talking about?"

I set down the half empty cup and turn to her, lazily propping myself on the counter. "Were you informed that little Hinami was captured by the doves? She went to her Big Brother's rescue and they swooped down and caught her. She's fine, I assure you. At least, she was the last time I checked. Her Big Brother got custody of her, and I doubt he'll hurt her. I'd guess she's still alive and mostly unharmed."

"And how do you know this?" Her voice holds disbelief, but what I tell her is true. I have no trouble lying, but what's the point when the truth will more than suffice?

"I have my ways, Touka," I murmur mystically. "I'm a very powerful being. Nothing I want ever escapes my grasp, whether it be an item or a word." She taps her pen against the counter, considering. I finish my coffee while waiting, and even then it's a few moments before she finally responds.

"What is it you want?"

"Tell me who Hideyoshi Nagachika is."

Her pen stops moving. "Why do you want to know about him." I turn a glare on her, telling her not to push me. "He's a human friend of Kaneki's. They've known each other since they were young and went to the same college up until a while ago."

"Do you," I get to my actual point, "have any clue as to where he might be?"

"No," she shakes her head. I study her, searching for any sign of dishonesty. She seriously doesn't know? Did this guy just turn into mist and float away with the wind? How can someone disappear so completely? Even I have traces left behind me, as much as I wish it weren't the case. If the doves were to look in the exact wrong places, I'd be in deep trouble.

"Not even the slightest idea?"

"Nope. Is that all you wanted?" I scowl, clenching my fist around the cup so hard it breaks. The dark liquid sears my skin and one of the pieces somehow manages to nick my skin. A droplet of blood swirls with the blackish beverage and I jump, flicking my hand to get it off. For a second, I swear it all turned to sticky blood.

Touka and a couple of the customers witnessing are wide eyes, but I just wipe the rest on my pants and hand the purple haired girl money. "That's for the mug." This time she accepts it, and the man gets to cleaning up the mess I've made.

I grab my pack and am about to leave, but Touka steps in front of me. "Why are you so obsessed with Kaneki? I know you two were both tortured, but why are you so set on him?"

"I have no reason to explain myself," I hiss, sensing a sturdy resolve from her. She's set on knowing, but my private life is not something anyone has any right to.

"But," she goes on, "what if I have more you want to know? What if I told you I know where you can find Hide?"

I laugh. "You don't, or I would have killed you for blatantly lying to me when you told me you didn't. I can tell the difference between truths and falsehoods, Touka. Don't you _ever_ take me for an idiot."

You're insane," she mutters.

I step closer, encroaching on her space and causing her to step back. "And don't _ever_ call me insane. Agreed? I'll leave you be as long as you don't lie, or refer to me as having lost my mind. My mind is very much intact, Touka. I can think very clearly. I just don't give a fuck about anyone else. Psychopath may be appropriate, or perhaps sociopath. I'm not a hundred percent sure of the difference. Either one of those work, but _do not_ label me as insane. This is me cautioning you. I don't expect to hear it come from your mouth ever again, okay?"

She meets my gaze, steely and unflinching, so I add, "Hinami called me insane as well. She's lucky I left after she did." In a louder voice, so all the customers can hear, I dismiss myself. "Good-bye, Touka. I look forward to seeing you again."

She's left standing by her seat, gazing after me as the door closes behind me. I walk a fair distance away before bringing my hands in front of my face. Recalling the coffee, I see it again flash to red and back.

Why is this happening again? I thought I was cured after I met Kaneki. I could finally sleep without seeing her face or seeing gushing blood. I could finally rest without waking up screaming. And now, it's actually worse! I'm beginning to see it while awake, too? This is insane! What the hell is going on?

I wipe my hands on my shirt even though they're already clean. I understand to some extent that Kaneki calmed me enough that even after we separated, I was still alright for a while, but now it's escalated? How does that fit? Not to mention, I still don't entirely know why I'm so comfortable around him.

A growling distracts me from the vision of blood. I'm hungry. So if I eat, I'll feel better, right? Maybe it won't happen as long as I'm full. Then that means I have to find a meal, and preferably one with nice pants. The scent of coffee beans is stuck in the fabric of these jeans.

I stop someone walking past and request the time. They show me their phone, which indicates it's almost five pm. I thank them and let them go. There's a customer I have to meet.

The meeting place is a ways out of the city, at a small shack hidden by trees. I have to run, but I make it before my buyer arrives. I lift my nose into the air to see if they're close. There are two people close enough for me to pick up their scent, and one of them is a ghoul. I guess that's them.

Three minutes later, if my counting is correct, the ghoul arrives. He's a first time customer to me, so he doesn't see anything odd with the fact I've left my mask off. He shows me the money and I take out a wrapped arm from my backpack. We toss them to each other at the same time, catching our rewards while letting go of our payments.

The male ghoul begins to eat, as most do, as soon as the treat is within his grasp. The foil wrappings fall to the ground as he devours the right arm. I'm saving the left arm of my victim for another transaction.

Half dried blood drips down the dead skin as he bites into it, shredding the muscle tissue with his teeth. When he's partway through it, he notices my lingering presence. "You're still here?"

"I always wait so my customers can set up future orders," I fib. There's a specific ghoul I go to to learn the orders. Being business partners, we'd turn each other in at the drop of a pin, except for the fact we don't want to put ourselves in danger. We're both confident in our partnership.

He accepts my deceit and finishes of the arm. "So then, I'm thinking a head next time. A girl's preferably."

"Pervert," I snicker.

"What was that?"

"A head does sound good right about now," I admit. "This is my schedule for when I'm free to meet…" I walk over nearer to him, one hand rustling in a pocket of my backpack. When the distance is closed enough, my bikaku shoots out and slices his head off like a blade. It flies backwards into a tree, and I take my hand out of the empty backpack. "Really, how stupid are you? Shouldn't you know never to get close to people like me?"

His body collapses to the ground and I go pick up his head. His eyeballs stare back at me blankly, mouth hanging open. "Don't you know it's rude to stare?" I sigh. "I guess I'll start with these, then." I dig two of my fingers into his eyes, yanking them out of his skull.

"I think I understand why Yakumo used to always pull out my eyes," I muse, biting into one while it still is skewered onto my finger. "It's annoying when people are staring at you. Don't you that's rude?"

* * *

I had to put in a scene of her eating in. Also, she eats other ghouls. She doesn't see any reason not to. Humans are simply sustenance, but ghouls boost her RC levels, making her more powerful. Along with her Chimera abilities, it's what makes her so powerful. And since she doesn't really care for either species, ghouls are the obvious choice. Does she seem like someone who'd have a problem with cannibalization? She keeps it under wraps, though. None of her customers are aware of this, nor is her business partner. I don't think we'll ever meet this partner of hers. He's just another one of her anonymous connections. But I'm getting excited. I'm thinking about the ending, and wondering how to write it. To put it simply, I'm impatient. I'll do my best not to rush.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	9. Chapter 9

I've been looking for a new anime that is complete. I'm currently watching the progress of K Project season two, but once a week is slow. I can wait for such a good anime, but I get impatient. I still have to finish Gangsta, though. Progress on that one is slow because of me. I like the story, but I can only watch a few episodes of it at a time. It just doesn't hold me there. That would've been a good one to watch weekly as it came out. And oh yeah, I should be getting my Halloween costume soon! And no, I am not too old to dress up. I'm planning on being Hange from Attack on Titan. My friend ordered an Asuna costume as well. I seriously can't wait, but I'm worried about the size. If it doesn't fit, what am I to do? I spent a lot of money to order the cosplay, but if it's too small...

Enough of my problems. You came for the story.

* * *

 _This time it's the classroom. Faceless children sit and stand in groups, chatting away and laughing, although their sounds don't actually form words as far as I can tell. I'm sitting atop the blond girl's desk, looking down at her. She's bowed her head to let her hair hide her face from the world._

" _What's up?" I ask her, dipping my head to try to look under her hair. She shrinks back so I can't. "I can't help if you don't tell me. If you don't tell me, I'll go to the teacher and tell her something's wrong and you'll draw more attention. Do you want me to do that?"_

 _She shakes her head, but doesn't lift it. I slam my hand on the desk, causing her to jump. None of the other children so much as flinch, and their murmurs continuing blandly in the background._

" _Did someone say something again?" I growl. "Come on, let Superhero Misa help!"_

" _It...it's not that," she sniffles._

" _Then what is it?"_

 _Her hand grips her hair, tugging on it, uncertain. "Why is my hair this color? No one else has blonde hair. Mommy says it's pretty, but I don't think so."_

 _I whack her head and she whimpers, clutching where it hurts. "It doesn't matter if anyone else has blonde hair, idiot. It makes you unique, so I can tell you apart from the really stupid people. Besides, pretty is just a thought. I don't care if others think I'm pretty, and you shouldn't either."_

 _Still, her expression is that of a crestfallen princess, trapped in a tower without hope. "I want to change it, Misa. Can we dye it black?"_

" _No, we can't. If anyone says anything bad about your hair, tell me and I'll make them sorry. Come on, it's time to go home." I take her hand, leading her from the school. As soon as we leave, the building fades and we're in front of her apartment. I knock and her mother opens the door. Her mother is a beautiful woman, with silky brown hair and black eyes that she passed on to her daughter. She smiles with perfect white teeth._

" _Thank you for walking her home everyday, Misa. I appreciate it since I can't do it myself."_

" _It's my pleasure, Ms. Himura. I have to protect her from the bullies." And ghouls, but I'd better not bring up the possibility. Ms. Himura has enough to worry about without remembering the existence of us ghouls._

 _She pats my head lovingly, and I let her. "She's lucky to have a friend like you. Say hello to your father for me when you get home."_

" _I will," I promise._

" _And Misa," she calls to me before I can leave. I turn back and return her grin. Much like her daughter, I can't help but smile when she smiles. But then her smile falls and her kind, dark eyes fill with bitterness. "How could you let my daughter die?"_

 _The blonde child is now in her mother's arms, limp and torn to shreds. Blood stains her bright, fair hair, and her clothes are ripped to reveal gashes and punctures in her skin. Her eyes are wide, locked on me, and empty. A single stream of red trails down her cheek from her dead eye, as her mother shouts over and over again._

" _Why? Why did you let this happen? You murderer! Why?"_

 _I'm frozen in place, my feet not obeying. My eyes can't move from the little girl's accusing gaze._

" _Why did you let my little girl die? Murderer! You murdered my daughter! Murderer!"_

" _I didn't!" I plead, futilely trying to get my feet to move. "I swear, I didn't kill her! I didn't hurt her, I promise! Believe me! Please believe me!"_

" _But you didn't do anything." I stop attempting to escape at the sound of her voice. Her cold lips don't move, but her childish voice reverberates through the air, shaking me from the inside. "You stood and watched me die. That's as good as murdering me yourself,_ Hanako. _You watched as I was ripped apart in front of you without coming to my rescue. You're no hero. You're a murderer."_

"I'm not!" I scream, eyes flying open. My balance fails and I tumble out of the tree, landing painfully on the ground groaning. Dammit all! Can't I go for one night without seeing that cursed girl's face?

The moon is still high, the stars still breaking through the darkness in defiance. The coldness causes goosebumps on my arms and the eerie quiet makes me shiver. I wonder just how many people heard my cry. If any of them come to investigate, I'll have to kill them. Well, that wouldn't be too bad, would it? They'd probably be wearing a coat, or at least a jacket I could take.

My last meal was a few weeks ago, so I could go for something to eat. I always feel better with something in my stomach.

I haul myself onto my feet, taking my mask out from under my shirt. Good, I didn't break it falling. I slip it back and work the knots out of my muscles, swinging my arms to be sure of my mobility. Still, I'm tired, and my nightmares never leave me in a pleasant mood. I almost feel sorry for the next ghoul crossing my path.

My pace into town is half walking, half skipping. Drowsiness prevents me from running, but I'm itching to bury my teeth into a nice, pumping heart and feel the oxygenated blood trickle down my throat. Thinking about it makes my stomach twist in hunger. I rub it, realizing I've probably ignored its desires for too long. But I've been looking for a new place to occupy for some time, and I can't eat around the place I plan to stay. Trees are not optimal beds, especially when the wind chill is biting and ferocious. It does tend to be a smidgen warmer in the city, but I can't very well sleep in a tree in the middle of a park.

The lights from windows and neon signs give me a headache, as if I wasn't already grouchy enough. Why can't the city die down after the sun sets? Instead of calming darkness, they snap on blinding lights and wander around drunk. In the states they put themselves in, stumbling around like they can't see a foot in front of them, why are they so surprised when one or more of them gets eaten? They're like sleeping pigs to a hungry cougar, so easy to pick off. Sometimes, I wish I could stuff some common sense into them as easily as I could rip out my prey's' insides. Really, would a little logic kill them?

I sniff the air subtly, not really smelling any prey close enough to track. If I'm desperate enough, I could choose one of the prostitutes strutting around or a yakuza member, but the police tend to notice when one of them turns up messy. It doesn't matter who the person is. A human eaten is a human killed. The doves are unlikely to let it go.

I leave the spotty streets filled with after hour, money hungry dumbasses and opt for the darker, silent alleyways. Now, if only someone could fix the awful stench of dumpsters. If alleys were clean and without such a disturbing smell, I could live in one of them. Unfortunately, my sensitive nose refuses to stay long in these havens of silence. If I could find an abandoned building in the area, that would be a jackpot. If a ghoul is already living there, I'd just kick him out. Of course, this is theoretical. I'm not aware of any suitable places nearby, and even then it'd have to be far enough away from demolition for me to settle in for awhile. And it needs to have enough space for my information files. Right now, I'm keeping them stashed in a shack at the site of my last meal.

Ghoul activity in the area seems to be low. The scent of my own species indicates there were some nearby recently, but they've all moved on. They must not have eaten. The smell of iron in blood is incredibly potent, especially when spilled.

Wait, there's one ghoul. He's a distance away, but he's one that I've been smelling for months. He's apparently settled into the area. Perhaps I should pay him a visit.

I take a step forward, narrowly missing a puddle of some unknown substance. I glower and move my foot back. My shoes come off and go under my shirt with my mask. They've grown beaten down over the years, and the last thing I want is some yucky liquid seeping into them and trapping its smell there. Maybe I should consider a more efficient method to carry things around, but purses aren't really my thing. There is a backpack back with the files, but even that I don't like having weigh me down. Travelling light is much more appealing.

As I dash through the back alleys barefoot, I wonder what type of kagune this ghoul has. A rinkaku would be ideal. Bikaku overpowers rinkaku, and ukaku can hold its own against it as well. Hopefully it's not a koukaku, because that puts me at a disadvantage. I don't have the means to quickly overpower one with my bikaku, and ukaku users tend to get trampled into the ground when faced with a ghoul with a koukaku.

My nose leads me to a run down warehouse. I halt outside, the hair on the back of my neck standing. Not good. Not a place like this, please! But his scent is powerful here, and now I can smell a few others. They're separate, though, which should make my part simple. Of course an abandoned warehouse is a hotspot for ghouls, specifically after the doves have already inspected the place and declared it ghoul free. But places like this…

Growling, I snatch my hand up to my face and claw nail marks down my cheek. I'm not a weakling, not anymore. I have nothing to be afraid of, and nothing to hold me back. I can do as I please.

Replacing my shoes on my feet, I stomp into the building. I let my sense of smell guide me to a room with a single ghoul resting against a large crate. Next to him is a mask of a snake, smiling as if pleased with its mischief. He turns to face me as I arrive in the doorway.

"This is my room. Get lost."

"What a kind way to greet your guest," I sigh. "People and ghouls alike need to learn to mind their manners. I swear, we're all just a bunch of barbarians."

"I said get lost," he threatens, pushing to his feet. Instead of making him appear nerdy, the glasses he wears add to his dangerous demeanor. Sensing blood to be splattered, I set my mask aside. No need to get it dirty.

I lean against the doorframe, casual. "And I told you to mind your manners. I don't care if you're older, as you look to be. I still deserve a degree of respect. Apologize?"

He releases his kagune in response. He has a bikaku. That's not the best, but it could be worse. It's actually a rather interesting electric blue color. From his confidence, I can assume he's fought quite a lot. A territorial ghoul, if I'm not mistaken. Considering his healthy condition I can also draw the conclusion that he's good at brawling. I might have to be careful.

Slinging up my hair into a ponytail, my dual wings unfurl from my back. I don't particularly care for this shirt, anyway. Even when he sees my type of kagune, he doesn't show the slightest hesitation.

"You must be quick on your feet," I comment, "not to question yourself after seeing I have an ukaku. Before we begin, I feel I must commend your idiotic bravery."

"What's you're business?" he asks, positioned to attack.

I shrug. "You've been around here for a while, right? But you aren't native. Neither am I. I thought I should come say hello. I guess I should admit, I was also hoping for dinner. How rude of me to expect you to provide it willingly." I lick my lips. "I have a peculiar taste in food, I should warn you. Ghoul meat is absolutely mouthwatering to me."

"Eyepatch Ghoul!"

Both of us freeze at the screech of another in the building. It definitely came from one of the ghouls I smelled earlier, but I don't particularly care for that. It's what he said that intrigues me. The Eyepatch Ghoul was a nickname given to Kaneki, if I'm not mistaken,

I rotate my head to look in the direction of the voice when a crash yanks my attention back to the bikaku ghoul. He's broken the window and is letting himself drop outside, mask on. I curse, but let him escape. He's no longer my top priority.

Grabbing my own mask, I put it on as I run to the origin of the shout. I whirl around a corner to a large, open storage space, where a black and white haired person stands wearing a leather ghoul's mask.

* * *

The decision to put Nishiki in was a last moment thing. I'd considered it for a while, but didn't think I'd be able to fit him in anywhere in particular. I'm glad he appears, though, if only briefly. I really do like him as a character, and I'm waiting anxiously for him to be seen more in the manga. I mean, they had him appear in the beginning of :RE as a ghoul being chased down, but have we seen him since? And what of his girlfriend? Are they still together? I can't wait for the next update!

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	10. Chapter 10

Well, I _wanted_ to be Hange for Halloween, but the costume I ordered only arrives with the harness. I did what I could with it, but I ended up looking more like Levi... And do you have any idea how hard it is to get that harness on? It took me and my parents a solid twenty to thirty minutes to figure it out. That's not to say I won't use it for my costume. Once it was actually on, I enjoyed how it looked. Even if the belts around my legs had to be kept there with duct tape. So yeah, Halloweens a bit of a bust this year, but I'm managing. Now I'm debating whether to be Levi or Hange, because my outfit is more like Levi's, but my hair is conveniently brown for Hange. Not to mention I have thick glasses laying around, also. Before I stop typing this before note, I want to mention that since this takes place over the course of many years, there are multiple time skips, some larger than others. Someone pointed out to me this operation was coming in pretty early, but I'm just giving this event a place in the timeline. I think it's better than just putting a ton of filler chapters in.

And now I'm done. Enjoy the story.

* * *

His mask is indeed with an eyepatch, black leather covering his human eye. The mouth area is a mouth without lips, with teeth like a skeleton's. A zipper runs between the teeth in case the wearer desires to use their mouth. I'd be willing to bet anything it was designed by Uta.

He doesn't see me, glancing around in confusion. No, he hasn't regained his memories. I can tell by the air of aimlessness about him. This person is still not the Kaneki I want, but _Haise,_ the personality holding him back. It's regretful, but who am I to pass up this opportunity. He's here alone. No faux ghouls have left their scent here, nor have any full humans. But I can smell him clearly, and he's here _alone._

"You're lucky none of the other ghouls can smell the human in you," I point out. He twirls around to face me and I chuckle. "Jumpy, aren't we? Why are you here, Kaneki? Not that I object to it or anything."

"I looked into you," he tells me. "I dug around the files and I couldn't find anything on a young ghoul named Hanako."

I grin. "Of course you couldn't. Ghouls change names often." And I've been particularly careful to keep information on me limited to the ghoul investigators.

"But you told Investigator Mado to call you Ms. Himura."

My smile falls. "There shouldn't be files about ghouls with that name, either."

"There isn't," he confirms, "but there was an incident thirteen years ago involving a little girl with that name."

My lips twitch, and I reach up to remove my mask. "I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about. You haven't answered my question of why you're here yet."

"I figured I might find you in a place like this," he explains. "It was a similar warehouse where Kiyoko Himura's body was found."

"You've found me, now _leave,"_ I hiss, my ukaku budding under my skin in an attempt to blossom. "Tonight, I'm not in the mood for conversation."

"Near her body, the body of a ghoul mutilated beyond recognition was discovered. It appeared to have eaten Kiyoko, afterwards cannibalized by another ghoul. That same day, some kids reported that one of their classmates by the name Misa Okazaki was a ghoul."

"What is you're point in bringing up some random ghoul case?" I snarl, wings in full bloom behind me. I won't kill him, but if he persists I'm not against injuring him. I'm not against maiming him.

He takes in my kagune with his one eye. "Mr. Okazaki was found in his apartment and eliminated, but his daughter never came home and was never seen again."

A piece of my ukaku fires at his leg, but his rinkaku reacts and blocks. My breath catches. Ah, so this is what his rinkaku looks like. It's been so long that I'd forgotten. The bloody, scarlet color is mesmerizing.

"You're Misa, aren't you?"

"What the _hell_ are you getting at?" Now that I think about it, it's incredibly suspicious that he's the only one here. There's no way he'd sneak away just to find a ghoul and talk with her. He's a fucking dove, after all. What exactly is he hiding up his sleeve?

"It must have been hard, to have your best friend eaten. I'll listen if you want to talk about it."

"What?" My ukaku droops, all intensity lost within a moment. What is he...you're kidding me! He'll _listen?_ "What the hell is wrong with your head?"

"I'm missing about twenty years worth of memories." The gentle, yet joking smile drains all motivation to fight from me. I still don't get it, why I'm so at ease around him. Even when he's prodding the most painful parts of my past with a burning torch.

My anger gone, I slump to the floor. I'm tired, I'm hungry, and it's too fucking cold. "You're insane," I giggle, finding myself unable to keep the smile off my face. Something might be wrong with me, as well.

He walks over to me and I watch him from my place on the floor. He doesn't make any sudden movements, nor is there any sign of hostility emitting from him. Is he seriously just going to listen to me? He's a dove, of all things, and has firsthand knowledge of how violent I can be. He's just going to sit and listen to what I have to say?

He sits across from me, within reaching distance. My jaw drops. This is so, unbelievably reckless of him. I'm a ghoul who could pierce through him with either or both of my kagunes without warning, and I'm the type of person who'd do it, too.

"Tell me about Kiyoko."

I stare at him for a second, before, to my amazement, I start talking. I don't understand. Why am I telling him this? "We were seven when we met. She was such a cute thing, with the darkest eyes and blonde hair. Her dad must have been a foreign man, because her mom was entirely Japanese. But she was timid, and shy...like the little sister I'd always wanted. But..."

"I have time," he prompts me. "Go on. I want to understand. We knew each other before, right? I want to get to know you now, as well."

My mom died when I was five. It was a tough childbirth, and she had to go through a C-section. That's pretty hard for a ghoul, with our limited number of doctors to treat us. She went under for the surgery and never woke up. My actual little sister survived for less than a week. I was happy to see her go, too, because...well, because I believed a murderer like her shouldn't be allowed to live. Her first hour in the world, and she had already killed someone.

I have no reason to tell Kaneki any of this, especially since it has nothing to do with Kiyoko herself.

"She took the place of my actual little sister, who died. The baby was born naturally weak.

"So you and Kiyoko were pretty close."

I nod. "I'd always play superhero, since she was always bullied for having blonde hair. She would call me Superhero Misa, and I'd go tell off the 'bad guys'. Every now and again it'd escalate, but I was a child. Even though I'm a ghoul, I was fairly weak, so no one got mortally injured.

"One day, during one of those rare childish fights, I released my bikaku in the heat of the moment. Of course all the bullies ran away, but Kiyoko clung to me, thanking me as she cried. She was always a huge crybaby. I was walking her home when a ghoul stopped us and asked if one of us was Okazaki. I said I was, and he took us to a warehouse." I pause, catching myself. I don't have any reason to be telling him this, do I? And why is he listening at all? Won't he just go back and tell all of this to his superiors? Won't he just report my entire history to Arima?

He lowers his voice, softening it before asking, "Are you okay to continue?"

My stubbornness flares up. "I'm fine," I snap. "The ghoul wanted to kill me, or at least punish me for drawing so much attention to our kind in the area. A child ghoul going to school with human children would cause an uproar. He was about to attack me….but Kiyoko pushed me behind her. I'd always done to that to her when confronting one of her bullies, but this time she was protecting me. The guy had no problem with it and began ripping her apart alive."

One of my eyes begins to ache again and I press my palm to it, willing it to stop. It doesn't, and a foreign wetness gathers under my hand. "Her screams...she screamed so loud. She was so scared. But she didn't cry once even as he sunk his teeth into her. Even though I was...terrified...I couldn't help but think that as she was dying, she was... _beautiful._ Right before she died, she looked straight at me and whispered my name. She didn't say Misa, or call me a superhero. She called me Hanako. I'd only told her my given name once months before, and neither of us had mentioned it since, and yet she remembered it. She chose it to be her last word.

"That was the first time my ukaku came out. Before then, I had no idea that I was a chimera. I was...blind with anger. All I could think was that this guy ate Kiyoko, so I ate him. It was the first time I'd killed anyone myself. After I realized what I was doing and stopped myself, I went and found some spider lilies growing nearby and gave them to Kiyoko. I didn't know what else to do! I mean, how do you treat a dead body?"

I tense when he places his hand atop mine, looking up to meet his gaze. "I'm sure she would've liked the flowers."

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I force my words out. I haven't relived this day like this since it actually happened. "I went home after that. Dad always told me to stay away from places filled with blood. When I got home, the door was open. There were voices I didn't recognize coming from inside, so I stayed in the hallway. They were talking about how hard it would've been to find my dad if not for my slip up, and how now they just had to wait for me to get home. One of them...one of them addressed the other as Arima!"

The water is now dripping down my face, falling into my lap. Am I...am I crying? That can't be right. Tears don't...I don't remember ever crying. Kiyoko was always the one to shed tears for the both of us.

Kaneki squeezes my hand, smiling kindly. "You know, when you're not trying to kill anyone, you're actually kind of pretty." He wipes the salt water from my cheek.

I squeeze his hand in return, understanding flowing into me. I get it now, after reviving those days that have been haunting me since I was eight. I loathe ghouls and despise humans, because they're all disgusting creatures. Everyone of us is a monster. And here in front of me is a boy who is both, a combination of everything I deplore. He is human and ghoul, and yet at the same time he is neither. He's an impossibility, a person, but neither of the species that I detest. He's an entire new species unto himself. I hate him passionately, but love him the same way, for the same reasons.

I cannot live with you, nor without you. How can I _not_ find myself obsessed with him?

"There's not much I can do for you," he frowns, "but I can say I'm sorry. You didn't deserve what happened to you."

"Dad and Kiyoko, they were lucky," I voice grimly. "They left this world. I was left here to face evil on my own. I learned that heroes don't defeat evil. Evil envelops this world, Kaneki. You saw that too, before you lost your memory. You've returned to your ignorant self, but I hope you remember soon. Even if hope is a fruitless idea."

"Hope is not fruitless!" His voice abruptly changes, stern. "Hope is something that can save you, or kill you. It's up to you which one you use it for."

I smile, for once my facial features feeling soft. I can relax around this person. Strange, that with all I just said, he got angry over my thoughts on hope. "When you remember your past, you have to come tell me about it. I don't give away information for free."

"I'll keep that in mind."

I release his hand, standing and wiping the last of the wetness from my face. "We have to part now. I can smell one of your dove friends getting close, one of the quinx squad." He stands as well, holding out his hand to shake. I take it, gripping it hard enough for him to try to retract it. I close the distance between our faces, nails digging into his hand. "Don't try to find me again, _Haise,"_ I hiss. "If you do, I won't be so nice. You won't leave without a hole or three in your head, understand?"

"Yes." He nods and I let go. I lick the droplets of blood from my fingers, watching has his hand heals right before my eyes. Even suppressed, his healing abilities are beyond compare. His blood tastes exquisite, a delicacy I will never feast upon.

"Prepare yourself. It doesn't matter if you've remembered or not next time we meet. I want to fight you, and I want to see your kakuja. I always get what I want." I take off before he can process what I've said. A second after I've disappeared around the corner, Kaneki is called to by one of his companions. I don't know which. I haven't memorized their voices or individual smells.

I leave the warehouse, expression set determined and mask on my face. I'll eat more than one, tonight. I have to be at my strongest while confronting him, no question about it. I've also finally made my decision.

I've found whom I've been looking for all these years. He's definitely the one.

* * *

I was unsure of how this revelation of her past works. I wanted Kaneki to be the one she revealed it to, but to me it feels kind of forced. Did anyone else get that feeling? If so, I apologize. I tried my best to correct that, but it didn't help much. I feel like it would have to be forced to some extent, or she would never reveal anything about herself. I'll try to do better in the future.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	11. Chapter 11

So I have a friend who loves this band called 5SOS. I have nothing against them or anything, and it's not like I hate their music, but she wont _shut up_ about them! It's seriously getting on my nerves! It started with her obsession with Peeta from the Hunger Games, and then One Direction, and now this. She can't carry a conversation that's not about them! I have nothing wrong with her being their fan. I myself am a huge fan of anime, all sorts of anime, but I can spend a month without watching it, and I could go weeks without talking about it. I just wish she wouldn't be so obsessive. Is that so much to ask? Could she not act as if they're the only thing in the world? I exist, too. I've known her since before kindergarten, and she's never even met any of the band members. To be frank, it hurts.

My rant is finished. I have a lot more I want to say, but if I went on, it'd never end. Enjoy the chapter.

* * *

" _Don't leave me alone, Misa!"_

 _I stumble back from the walking corpse in front of me. Her eyes have gone black with dark blood, half of the skin on her face ripped away so I can see the decaying muscle underneath. Blood drips from her wounds endlessly, and her voice echoes from everywhere. The largest wound is a gaping hole in her chest, where I can see her still heart withering into nothingness. In her bloodstained hair is the crown of spider lilies._

" _You can't leave me alone," she groans, hands reaching out. I back into a wall, my heart threatening to break from my ribcage. My kangunes aren't working, and my strength has left me on my own. It's almost like I myself am human._

 _Her bony hands wrap themselves around my neck, squeezing with more power than a kid like her should have. "Come with me, Misa! You can't leave without me! Follow me! You have to, Misa, you must!" Her fingers dig into my throat, beginning to break skin._

" _Ki...Kiyoko," I gasp, using what little breath I have left in me. Then she crushes my throat with one, final force._

My hand is at my neck, making sure it's still intact. I breathe in deeply, then exhale. This can't go on. It just can't.

I throw off my single blanket and grab the box from the corner of the shed that is my temporary habitat. Shuffling through the files, I finally come to the one labelled Noriko Himura. I take it out and stare at it. This was the first file I collected, and I still have yet to open and read it. Weighing it in my hand, I waver for only a moment before flipping it open and skimming through its contents. Ignoring most of it, I only take heed to a few key words and phrases.

Unmarried, occupation of teaching, and the address at the bottom of the first page. That's all I need to know. She shouldn't be working today, and if she's unmarried still she should be the only one at home.

It's still black out, but it's started to fade into a deep blue. The sun will be up within the next one or two hours. That doesn't give me long to use the darkness as cover, but it isn't so unbearably far from here. I don't think I'll have to run.

I tuck the file under my arm and dig a box of matches out of the backpack slumped nearby. Without hesitation, I drop a lit match onto the files and hop back as the fire begins to spread. Before leaving, I check my pockets to be sure I have all of the money I've collected over the years. Once I'm sure that I have the envelope, I unlock the door and walk out, the flames building into a furious inferno. It'll stop eventually. How long it takes depends on the level of stupidity the humans who notice it have. For now, though, it'll eat away at all evidence of my existence until nothing is left. Until I've completely disappeared.

People are already about, adults rushing to get to work. I imagine children are still asleep, the nightmares of the early morning having already passed. Every here and there, there's a teenager bustling to their part time job. All of them are humans, and all are oblivious to me. I'm just another stranger in the crowd they jostle aside to get to where they want to be.

I don't understand them at all. Humans always make such a huge deal about ghouls living among them, but they don't even consider the fact that they could be passing one in their haste. How blind can an animal get when they can see perfectly well? It's not like we ghouls camouflage ourselves. Even a bird would recognize a predator of the same species. And it's not just the fact that they don't see us, but the fact that they don't at least bother to look. They don't suspect. If all creatures were as ignorant as humans, bears would've long died out due to male bears eating the young.

The apartment complex I arrive at is rundown and seems to be falling apart at the hinges. She must still not make enough money to live comfortably, seeing as she lives in such a dreary place. I climb the stairs and stop outside the door marked 45. Glancing around, I find no one out. They've either already left or are snuggled down under covers, avoiding reality for a few extra minutes.

Grinning, I release my bikaku and use it to knock on the door, my ukaku unfurling behind me. I wait just like that, completely battle ready and smiling.

After a few seconds, a voice comes from inside. "I'll be right there!" She's groggy, probably just out of bed. When the door clicks open, I wedge my bikaku between it and the wall and force it open completely.

What it reveals is a surprised woman, who in her age obviously used to be a youthful beauty. I charge in, slamming her against the floor and roughly forcing her mouth shut so she doesn't shout. I use my legs to pin hers down, holding her upper body still with one arm. My bikaku softly shuts the door behind me, leaving us alone and closed off from the world.

The woman's hands hit me hard, but her fists bounce off harmlessly. Her eyes stare up at me with confusion and horror mixed. Those dark, black eyes dredge up memories I'd succeeded in forgetting, causing my grin to transform into a hideous scowl.

"Close your eyes or I'll dig them out with my bare hands," I hiss. They widen for about half a second before snapping shut. My grin returns, and I lean closer to her until I can feel her breath heavy on my face. Sensing me, she freezes, now only quivering slightly under me.

"Hello, Ms. Himura," I chuckle. "I've returned to see Kiyoko."

Ignoring the danger, she opens her eyes. I growl, baring my teeth, and they close again. "Now, I'm going to remove my hand so that you can talk. If you shout, or refuse to do as I say, you'll be dead before you can blink again. Do you understand?"

I feel her try to nod and take my hand away. She gasps, "What do you want with my daughter? She….she's dead."

"I told you I came to see her, you stupid woman." I climb off of her, yanking her to her feet. "Where did you set up her shrine?" She stands for a moment, baffled, until I encourage her with a flare of my wings that barely fit inside the entryway. Flinching, she takes me into another room where a table with a single chair is set up. On one of the walls is a shrine, where a picture of the blonde who haunts my dreams is propped. By it is a bundle fresh yellow flowers and burning incense.

"Sit by it so I can see you," I order the woman. She listens, sitting herself at the side of the shrine quietly. I shift my gaze to the picture frame, unable to take my eyes away from the smiling girl. I remember that outfit was one of her favorites. The dress was pink, the layers at the knees fading into purple. She'd wear it everywhere, whether to special occasions are going out to a doctor's appointment. Her favorite blue sneakers were usually what she paired with it.

Relying on my hearing to keep track of Ms. Himura, I kneel down and close my eyes. I don't really pray for anything. I don't know if any god exists. I do know, though, that this is in reverence for the dead. Nothing I think or say will reach her wherever she is, so I don't think any particular message. Shrines and graves are for the living, anyway. Not the dead.

Done, I rise back to my feet and glance over at Ms. Himura. She watches me intently, and this time I don't make her close her eyes. Fear still stirs within them, as does puzzlement, but I also see almost a small amount of gratitude. Kiyoko never had many friends, and her mother was never one to invite others into her life easily since her lover left her. After Kiyoko's death and my disappearance, there probably weren't many people helping her, and even fewer close enough to her to bear some of her pain. There wasn't really anyone other than her to mourn her daughter's death.

"Do you have a phone?" I ask casually. She jumps at the question, apparently shocked out of thoughts of her own.

"Um, yes, I do."

"Get it. If you aren't back with it within ten seconds of you leaving my sight, I'll destroy this shrine." She nods in consent and fetches it, coming back in only eight seconds. I catch myself from breathing a sigh of relief. The last thing I want to do is demolish this shrine. "Now dial the number for ghoul investigators and hold it to my ear. I don't want to leave fingerprints all over everything."

She doesn't ask why, although the question is written plainly on her face. She holds it to my ear after dialing and I wait until the voice comes on at the other end.

"This is-"

"I know where I'm calling. There should be a ghoul investigator named Haise Sasaki. I want to talk with him."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," the receptionist woman responds.

"You can and you will. I'm a friend of his, and this is urgent." I let my tone inform her of my growing irritation. "Tell him that his friend Hanako is calling. Let me emphasize this one more time. This. Is. Urgent. So go. And get. Sasaki!"

She hesitates for a moment, but says, "Please hold."

I wait one minute, then two, then three, until I snarl, "Where the hell is he?"

"I'm sorry, he's right here."

A moment of silence.

"Hanako?"

"Hello, _Haise._ Tell me, is this line secure? I'll be able to tell if you're lying." I hear him faintly excuse himself from wherever he is, walking somewhere with less background noise.

"No one should be listening, but everything you say is being recorded, so it can be found if anyone looks."

"Good enough," I decide. "You know that warehouse we met at some time ago? You're meeting me there at noon today, alone. I have a hostage, too, just in case you try to bring anyone else along. Say hi, Noriko."

Hands shaking, she lifts the phone to her ear. "Hello."

"Now bring it back." She replaces it for me. "If you've done your research, you'll know Noriko Himura is Kiyoko's mother. You'll go on your own, or I'll kill her when you arrive. I'm sure you know me well enough to know I'll do it without a second thought. Do we have a deal?

"If I come alone, you won't harm her?" he demands. I knew it. He's still pathetic, caring so much for a woman he's never so much as met. I was counting on that.

"I swear on my pride. And in case you haven't caught on, that's pretty damn important to me."

He's quiet, as am I. I could very well hang up right now and he'd come, but I'm waiting to hear his confirmation in words. As I said, pride is pretty damn important to me. I take pride in the fact that I can manipulate a dove so easily.

"I'll come."

"Good. I'll see you in a few hours, _Haise._ Have a nice day." I move my head away from the phone. "Hang up." Ms. Himura does so, setting the phone on the table.

"What…what are you doing, calling a ghoul investigator?" she dares to wonder, shrinking away from me. She obviously anticipates a negative reaction to her question.

"What does it sound like?" I retort flippantly. "I'm luring him into a fight, using you as bait."

"But...why?"

I think about it, grin spreading across my face. "None of you're business. Now, you're going to walk in front of me so you don't leave my sight. I'll tell you where to go. Do anything wrong, and I won't hesitate to kill you even if we're in the middle of public. I've gotten away from the investigators plenty of times before already, and I don't doubt my ability to do it again."

"I understand."

I step aside so she can go in front of me. "Then let's head out." She passes me and I trail her down the hallway, until a picture hanging on the wall catches my eye. I stop, staring. She notices my pause and turns to face me.

"What is this?" I ask, voice perfectly calm.

"It...it's me and...a man from a while ago."

"I get that!" I snap. "Explain it to me! Seriously!"

Trembling, the woman looks between me and the picture. "I...we...the man was someone I liked. My daughter's real father left me once I became pregnant. That man in the picture...we were going out."

"When the hell did that happen?" I shout, shaking in an effort to contain myself. "You weren't….I never saw you together with my father! You barely talked to each other!" Her shocked silence is infuriating. "FUCKING SAY SOMETHING!"

"You…" Realization seems to cross her face. "You're Misa?"

"Surprised?" I hiss. I run my hand through my hair, unsure of what to do. "Shit, what is this? I didn't plan on this." Why the hell did you date a _human,_ dad? Surely you knew it'd go horribly wrong. We only knew the Himuras for a little over a year, and yet you were _dating_ Kiyoko's mom? Why didn't you ever tell me?

"Misa?" I glare at Ms. Himura when she addresses me with my old name. She recoils, but only slightly. "Misa, what happened to you these past thirteen years?"

"Life happened. Reality. You know what? Forget it. You stay here. I have no reason to bring you along. As long as Kaneki thinks I have you with me, he'll come on his own. You can do whatever you want when I leave, call the doves again or whatever." I dig out two crumpled envelopes from my pocket. "But take this yellow one to someone named Uta. There's a cafe called :RE that's run by acquaintances of mine. If you tell the purple haired waitress it's to Uta, she'll get it to him. The white one...do whatever you want with it. I don't care."

She takes them from me, tentatively.

I don't allow her time to question me further, or myself time to change my mind. I take off, hoping from the second floor to the ground outside without bothering with the stairs. Right now, I have a rendezvous to get to.

* * *

The idea of Ms. Himura and Hanako's dad dating was an idea that came to me halfway through writing this. As you can see, Hanako had absolutely no idea. I think she really respects her dad, though. I mean, he was a single parent. He was the only one to raise her, so how could she not be attached to him? As far as her caring for others goes, it pretty much stops with her father and Kiyoko. Maybe she's a little caring towards Noriko, but not nearly to such an extent. After their deaths, she closed herself off from the world. Her questionable care for Kaneki is unique to him. It's not something she'd form for anyone else. Her relationship with him is...unique. I think that's a good description of it. Maybe. Anyway, I should be posting in three days time if I keep to my schedule.

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!

P.S. This little ending I do at the end of every chapter is kind of like me signing my work. You could say it's my autograph, in a way.


	12. Chapter 12

I've considered continuing past the ending I've planned, because it would be possible. However, not only could I not come up with anything entertaining, but I think this end I have for her suits her well. This chapter pretty much sums up her entire personality. I think you see most of what makes her 'her' in this chapter. I spent a lot of time planning this one, and the second half of this chapter I've had in my mind almost since I started writing this story. The first half is just something that came naturally when I started writing. And by the way, I counted. In this chapter alone, she kills six people. I'm kind of curious now. Maybe I should go through and count how many people she kills total throughout this story.

I don't think this one requires a long author's note beforehand, so I'll let the chapter do the rest of the talking.

* * *

When I arrive at the warehouse, it's occupied by ghouls again. The snake masked ghoul from last time is nowhere to be found. That's not to say he hasn't been here since, or won't return after, but at least he won't get in my way for the time being.

"What're you doing 'round here, little lady?" A scruffy bearded ghoul approaches me, stumbling. The stench of alcohol wafts off of him in waves.

I scrunch my nose. "Disgusting."

"Excuse me?" he stops, anger shadowing his features. "What was that about me?"

"I said you're disgusting. Did some of that gunk on your face clog your ears? Or are you just too wasted to make out my words?"

"Now liss...listen here," he slurs. "That's is no way to talk to yur eldersss."

"And that's no way to talk to your superior, scum. Gather your drunk buddies and leave. I have business here to attend to, and you're all nothing but an eyesore."

"What?" he growls.

"I said," I release my bikaku, "that you're an eyesore! Get out before I get serious."

"You little…" He advances on me, his step tripping. Before he can take another one, I've run him through the stomach with my bikaku. He freezes, coughing. Blood spurts from his mouth and blends into the red of my tail. The koukaku sprouting from his back stops, still half inside of him. I drag him closer, until our faces are inches apart, grinning wildly.

"You should have run," I seethe. Then I slam him into the ground face first, grinding his face on the concrete and leaving smears of blood of his wake. I toss the body at his friends, who have scrambled to their feet even with their alcohol laced blood trudging through their veins. "And you," I address them, "should've done the same."

A few of them begin to release their kagune, but I stride over and bash the strongest looking among them into the wall, cracking both the concrete and skull upon impact. Before they understand what's happening, I use my bare hand to pin the closest one to the floor, digging my nails into his chest until I feel the stuttering of his heart. I then jerk it from him with one swift tug, watching him convulse on the ground beneath me. Ghouls have amazing regenerative abilities compared to humans, but even we cannot survive if you remove our heart or destroy our brain. We aren't immortal.

Biting into the organ in my hand, I turn to look at the others. "I might as well rip up the lot of you. I'm in the mood for a little bloodshed."

One of them resorts to begging. "Let us go, please!" His pronunciation is surprisingly clear, which leads me to conclude that either he hasn't drunk as much as the others or my performance has sobered him up. I approach the beggar, using my thumb to wipe a droplet of blood from my cheek.

"I gave you a chance, but you ignored it. Does a meat shredder just 'let you go' after you've completely disregarded the warning on it and stuck your hand in?" I grab his shaking hand by the wrist, chuckling to myself. "I don't think it does." I snap his wrist backwards before ripping it from its socket entirely. One of the other two begins to run, but I trip him with my tail. I sneer. These trash aren't even worth me using my ukaku.

I put pressure on the beggar's neck until he's torn from his shoulders and toss it at the female ghoul frozen in terror before getting to the one that tried to run. "Didn't you hear what I said?" I hiss, grabbing his hair. "I'm not the type of person to put up with anyone who doesn't listen to what I say."

Gathering all of the strength in my arm, I form the tips of my fingers into a wedge and shoot it through his torso. Before I can I touch the stomach acid I can smell leaking out, I grab ahold of his intestines and retract my arm. Unable to help myself, I laugh. Maybe the humans aren't so wrong after all. Here I am, tearing out someone's intestines. Perhaps their fear of those particular organs being taken from them are justified.

Before I leave him, I reach in and slit his stomach open wider. Our stomach acid is even more potent than a human's, and it'll eat through ourselves quickly and painfully if spilled. Once it's done with him, it'll probably sizzle through the floor and foundation before dispersing among the soil. All that'll be left of him is a corpse with a clean hole burned through it.

And now for the woman. Her breath catches when I turn my gaze on her. She was the only female with these men, and it isn't hard to see her purpose. The dress she wears barely covers anything it needs to, and she's drowning in excessive makeup. Her hair is done up in a bun all nice and fancy, and her legs are covered in fishnet.

"I don't know whether to feel disgusted by you or sympathetic," I huff, tucking my strand of white hair behind my ear. "Selling yourself like that...don't you have any ounce of dignity? While you're selling your body, how about I buy you? It's been awhile since I've eaten another girl. I'll buy your heart, you legs, your arms." I loom over her as she cowers like a pathetic puppy on the ground. "But you can keep your torso. It's undoubtedly been sullied. No one wants a used product."

Tears stream down her face, snot dripping from her nose. She looks absolutely hideous, and she wails when I point that out.

"Let her leave." I glance over my shoulder, finding the investigator grimacing at the bodies. He meets my eyes, all signs of uncertainty dissipating. "Let her live."

"It's not like her life is all that important," I shrug, smashing my bikaku through her skull. She crumples to the ground, dead before my tail can pierce the other end of her head. Prostitutes are useless, dregs of society. Then again, perhaps there's a beauty to them. At least they know they're ugly. Most of the rest of humanity outright lie to themselves to keep themselves sane. She was a ghoul, though. That already condemns her enough.

"What is it you wanted to meet me here for?" he demands, voice sturdy. "And where is Ms. Himura?"

"She's at home, last I saw. She would've gotten in the way, had I brought her. I wanted to meet you because I'm impatient. I can only wait for so long, Kaneki."

He shakes his head. "I've told you before, my name is Haise Sasaki."

"I beg to differ, Kaneki Ken. I happen to like that name of yours. Ka-ne-ki. It has a nice ring to it. Ken, not so much, but put it together and I think it sounds lovely. It would be detestable to call you any other way."

"You said you got impatient." He's ignoring my compliment. "What do you mean by that?"

"I want to see your kakuja." I state it as if I'm just saying I have a dry throat and want a drink. "I've seen your kagune, but I want to see this centipede I've read about. Does that shape perhaps have anything to do with the Chinese red-headed centipede that was put in your ear?"

He flinches. "What are you talking about?"

I grin. "Why, can't you remember _anything_ about our time together? Yakumo was _very_ prominent." His hand twitches, an obvious sign of discomfort. Even if he doesn't recall the events, his body remembers the pain. What I'm saying is poking at the part of him that remembers the suffering he's endured. "Was I that ugly when we met? You had to go and forget me? I mean, yes, my eyes had been gouged out of my skull, but I don't think I look too bad. I remember you. I wasn't so cruel as to erase my memory of you, even though your fingers and toes were ripped from you so many times. Your face of agony was distasteful to say the least, but I didn't go and _forget_ that we met."

"I don't…" He blinks hard. "...understand."

"But when you tore down that brute and ate his kakuja, I was speechless! And now you yourself have a kakuja? I want to see this! Won't you show it to me, Kaneki?" I step closer to him, slipping my mask onto my face. "Please, Kaneki? Show me the shape of the centipede Yakumo stuck in your ear. Inflict on me the pain he caused you. Please, Kaneki? I want to see." I drag my finger down his cheekbone, my touch light. When I get to his chin, I stop, my ukaku unfurling from my back. I lean in closer and whisper into his ear. "Show me who you are, Kaneki Ken."

I draw back as he collapses to the ground, screaming and clutching at his head. His body trembles as his cries wrack him violently. As he screams, my laughter mixes into the clamor. I'll finally see it! I'll finally witness this kakuja from the boy that has consumed my mind ever since we met. I'll finally once again get to talk with the boy who originally captured my heart.

Noticing buds breaking through his shirt, I jump back before his rinkaku lashes out as if with a will of its own. I fend off the best I can without attacking. Where is it? Where is his kakuja?

"Fight me!" I encourage. "You have to put me down, or I'll hurt those you love! Isn't that what drives you? Fight me! Kill me! Try, I dare you!"

"My name," his voice shakes, "is Haise!"

"Are you going to keep lying to yourself, Kaneki? I thought you were better than that! I thought at least you would face the world head on! How long are you going to stay hidden behind that mask?"

"My name is Haise!"

"WAKE UP KANEKI!"

It truly does look like a centipede. It's almost as if the giant insect is bursting from its cocoon. It whips towards me faster than I've seen any kagune move, and it scrapes my arm before I'm able to twist out of the way. When he lifts his head, I see a shield of sorts has formed over his face. Interesting, how buglike it is. It makes me wonder if there's another reason for it taking such a shape, other than the centipede.

His eyes have gone mad, unfocused and yet staring straight at me. For a moment, I pause to get a better look at the wonderful expression on his face. His teeth are now clenched, and he growls like a vicious, feral animal. His stance shifts, becoming more predator-like and smooth. Every movement he makes reminds me of the sleekness of a snake.

At the last second, I duck to the side to avoid the oncoming kakuja. One of its legs rips into the flesh of my arm, causing me to hiss. The contact was only for a brief moment, but the pain shoots through my entire arm like fire. The shock of it causes me to stumble, but I regain my footing before I can commit any serious blunder.

That _hurt,_ dammit! I've put up with my eyes being plucked out of their sockets over and over again, but for some reason this little scratch sears so much worse. Could it be because of the shape? Or maybe the force put behind it? Whatever it is, my grin spreads wider because of it.

"You're back!" I exclaim, clapping like a child. I whirl to dodge two tentacles of his rikaku. "You're back, Kaneki! We finally meet again! Ahaha! This is the best day of my life!" My laughter transforms into high pitched squealing as I nearly am hit again with his kakuja. Then it turns back into hysterical giggling. I dance around, carefully springing out of the way of his attacks as he trembles where he stands. One of his hands still grips his hair, as if trying to snap himself out of it, but the monster inside him is bearing its fangs without mercy. How lovely, how _beautiful_ he is like this! Never have I seen something so amazing.

I shoot my ukaku back, causing him to defend. I stop, as does he when the beast in him comes to a realization. I'm not just running; I retaliate.

Thus it begins. I quickly discover that blocking his kakuja with my bikaku only damages my tail, so my only defence is to keep moving. Good thing I'm light on my feet. He is the hardest I have ever fought, without a doubt. Even with the onslaught of my wing projectiles and my battering tail, I rarely ever hit him, let alone draw blood. His rinkaku are pretty easy to fend off, but with the added kakuja, everything is so much more difficult! Mainly my arms are being shredded, which aren't so important to me, but every wound hurts like hell. If he hits my legs many more times, I'll begin grow lethargic and that'll be the end of me.

"I'm jealous of you, did you know that?" I call, jumping over a crate that is destroyed only moments after I've cleared it. "I've always wanted a kakuja! It's no fair that you get one and I don't. I've been eating other ghouls almost my entire life, and you've only been doing it for a few years. Maybe if I eat you, I'll get your kakuja!"

I drop to the ground too slow and one of the kakuja legs nicks my forehead. I leap out of his range and hastily assess the damage. The gouge isn't too deep, the excessive blood seeping only because it's a head wound. As soon as I've come to my conclusion, I'm sprinting again to narrowly get out of the way of his rinkaku.

The contrast between us is glaring. He bleeds from small punctures that are healing as we fight, while my right arm is barely usable anymore. My left isn't in much better shape, either. There are three massive gashes in my leg tendons, throwing my balance off and making it harder to evade. The iron smell of my own blood fills my nostrils, causing me to choke. Still, I can't wipe the smile from my lips. Even with pain crippling my usually graceful movements, I've never felt so carefree! I'm almost...peaceful.

But the blood….I've never had so much of my own spilled. The smell is overwhelming! I'm growing dizzy from the potency of it.

One of his rinkaku skims my side and the world flashes red. Everything is stained in blood, and for one dreadful second, I'm in the warehouse from all those years ago and Kiyoko is lying dead in front of me.

And then it all jolts back to normal and I'm thrust a foot backwards. My mask drops off, clattering to the floor by my feet. Feeling something in my stomach, I lower my gaze down. One of his rinkaku has run me clean through. I hold back a cough, feeling blood try to rise in my throat.

At the same moment, his kagune stop. His rinkaku frozen, he retracts his kakuja. His breathing slows to an even pace and his eyes return to normal. When he comprehends the sight in front of him, he gasps, tearing his rinkaku away from me.

My knees quake with the effort to stay standing, the agony of my injuries and of having a hole through my torso too much to bear.

"I…." His mouth opens and closes like a fish. "I didn't…"

"No, you," I pause so blood doesn't spout from my mouth while I talk, "you didn't. That was," _hack,_ "Kaneki." The terror in his expression brings laughter to my lips, although it ends with a gurgled, drowning sound.

He rushes to me, pausing at my side with uncertainty. I can practically see his thoughts on his face. He's wondering, 'what am I to do? How can I fix this? I can't have _killed_ someone!'

Using whatever strength I have left, I grab the collar of his bloodstained shirt and hold his face close to mine so he can hear my whispered words. "But then again...you are Kaneki, Haise. You killed me. I'm dying." I force his hand to feel the gaping hole, and he doesn't resist. All willpower seems to have drained out of him. "I'm dying, Kaneki." My lips twitch into a small smile. "Now...we're both killers. You have to….follow me to hell, okay?" Lips trembling, my smile falls. Something warm trickles down my cheeks, and for once, I don't think it's blood. "Don't….don't let me go there alone."

I'm dying. Finally, after thirteen years, I'm following Kiyoko. Everything I had was taken from me that day. There's nothing left for me here, nor is there any place in this world for murderers. Every last one of us deserves the solitary deaths that come for us, but for some reason I couldn't accept that. I had to go and find someone, and force them to join my fate. I had to make the one I fell in love with a murderer.

I wonder how Ms. Himura will react to the money I gave her. Will she spend it? Or will she go and give it to the police. If she chooses to keep it, it should be just enough to break her out of her poverty. Kiyoko would've liked her mom to live well. I hope she also gets that letter to Uta. Since I couldn't repay a favor for the mask, I added some extra money along with the thank you note. I guess it doesn't really matter if it gets to him, does it?

Why did I come here today? Why did I invite him out here? Perhaps I knew I would die. Maybe I came here specifically for him to kill me. That would explain why I burned all my files on a whim. Funny. I can't gather the strength to laugh, but it's funny. All this time I've wanted to see his kakuja, maybe even be killed by it, but it's his regular kagune that does me in in the end.

Kaneki's face begins to grow blurry, and his panicked voice slowly fades into a distant ringing. I guess it's time to go. It's about time. My heart died thirteen years back, and my body is only now going after it.

My eyes are drifting to look over his shoulder when everything comes back into focus. My breathing stops as I return Kiyoko's stare. The blood is gone, and she's simply the little girl I knew all those years ago, eyes bright and smile shining. It's the face of the innocence that I lost.

Then, I break. My legs give out from under me and I collapse, the world growing dark. As I fall, I apologize to her, to the one friend I've missed so dearly.

 _Sorry, Kiyoko. I can't be your hero._

* * *

Yes, I've planned her dying since the beginning. Is it all that surprising? Taking into account her personality, and my other stories' endings, I'm sure a few of you saw this coming. I'm sure I've mentioned before that my heart goes out to Hanako, and it truly does. A piece of myself goes into all of my characters, so it's painful for even me when I kill them off. I'm beginning to suspect I'm somewhat of a masochist, considering how much I put my characters through... Anyway, shout out to Delta Marauder who commented a ton. I always love hearing what you guys think, whether they're suggestions or just plain side comments. I guess I should mention how I picture Hanako appearance wise, now. To me, she's always had long black hair and hazel-ish eyes. She's fairly small in stature, which is one reason she's so light on her feet. I'd say she can't be taller than 5'3, but probably over five feet. How did you guys picture her? No one has mentioned that.

Halloween is tomorrow! I can't wait! I'm throwing a little party with a couple of my friends, and it should be a ton of fun!

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!


	13. Chapter 13

"Please wear your uniform, Misa," he sighs, exasperated. I turn my head away stubbornly, crossing my arms.

"I don't want to!" I pout. "Stop calling me Misa. That's not my name."

"Come on, sweetie. While you're going to this school, you're name is Misa. Once you're used to responding to it, I'll go back to calling you Hanako. I promise."

I glance at him, calming down slightly. "I still don't want to wear the uniform."

Giving up, he lays the clothes on the bed and stands to leave my bedroom. "Get dressed and come down for breakfast. I made your favorite." I wait until the door is closed before uncrossing my arms and going to my closet. I slip on my leggings and a shirt too long, putting sandals on my feet before bounding out of the room to the kitchen. Dad takes one look at my outfit and shakes his head, but doesn't say anything about it. He serves me the mush I love. He never tells me what it's made out of, but it must be rare, because he only makes it on special occasions. I shovel it in my mouth as he watches. Noticing his stare, I smile and he laughs.

"Don't smile when your mouth is full," he scolds me gently. I finish my plate and hold it out for seconds, but he refuses. "We need to leave right now, but you can have the rest when you come home for lunch."

"Fine," I grumble, hopping down from my chair. He kneels in front of me, straightening my shirt and patting my hair down.

"Do you remember the rules, Misa?" he asks, looking me in the eye. His expression is the one he shows when he's serious and he doesn't want me messing around. I avoid the eye contact and kick the floor with my toe.

"Yes, Dad."

"Tell me what they are."

I take a deep breath and say it all at once. "Don't get close to humans, don't show my kagune, and don't draw attention to myself."

"You forgot one."

"And don't talk about being a ghoul. I know, Dad. You tell me everyday."

He kisses my forehead. "People are forgetful creatures, sometimes. You can't ever forget these rules. You'll be happy as long as you keep them, understand?" He stands. "Let say good-bye to Mom, and be on our way."

I run to the room holding her shrine, poking my head inside. "We're going to school, now! I'll see you at lunch time! Okay, let's go." I take Dad's hand and we leave the house.

The school we arrive at is grey on the outside. I stop where I'm standing, not budging another inch. "Why is it so ugly?" I quip, glaring at the dull building.

"Misa, I'm sure it's nicer inside. Why don't we go look?"

Growling under my breath, I let him drag me into the school. We find the classroom and I go and sit in an empty seat in the back corner, away from the human children. Dad talks with the teacher, and I hear him promising her I'll be wearing the uniform tomorrow.

 _There's no way I'm wearing that thing,_ I think to myself. _It's no better looking than this school._ He waves to me and exits, leaving me on my own in the midst of these strangers. I stare at my classmates, not really looking at any of them. They're all the same. There's nothing at all interesting about them. Dad says we ghouls have to survive off of humans, but I don't get what he means. I would be perfectly fine if they all were to up and disappear. It's not like they affect my life all that much.

"Hi, I'm Aki." A girl with her black hair pulled back in pigtails has her hand extended, smiling at me. Not really caring, I shake her hand. One of Dad's rules is not to attract attention to myself. In that case, I'd better at least get along with everyone. That doesn't mean I have to like them, though. "I have an older sister who goes here. She's two grades above us, and her name is Rika. Do you have any siblings?" I shake my head, wishing she'd go away.

My wish is granted when the teacher tells us we all need to find a seat. Aki goes to sit with a couple girls she apparently already knows and I stay where I am. We're going through and introducing ourselves when the door slides open and a mother ushers her child in. I absently asses the beauty of the woman, not quite grasping how unusual her youth is. I figure she just looks younger than she is.

The little girl that comes in barely bears any resemblance to her mother. Her skin is paler than I've ever seen, and her hair a strange, scraggly yellow. The only feature that seems to guarantee their blood is their matching, black eyes. Since all the other seats are filled, the tiny thing ends up sitting in front of me. She's seriously small. I mean, not only is she short for our age, but she's built as such that I get the impression she'll fall apart if the wind picks up at all.

Whispers make their round through the classroom, my sharp ears picking up pieces of their secretive words.

"...see how young her mother was?"

"...that blond hair…"

"She's so tiny…"

The target of their murmurs hunches her shoulders, as if trying to make herself smaller than she already is. Meanwhile, the teacher gets the attention of the class and we get back to introducing ourselves. The blond child mutters that her name is Kiyoko Himura, but I might be the only one that hears it with how quiet she is. After she takes her seat, I stand.

"My name is Misa Okazaki," I flinch at the name, "and this is my first year at this school. Please take care of me." I bow how Dad taught me to and return to my seat. I assume most of the other kids know each other somewhat by now. Only Kiyoko and I introduce ourselves as new.

I tune out whatever else the teacher says, staring at the back of Kiyoko's head deep in thought. Her name was the only one I picked up from the introductions. No one else was able to pique my interest enough for me to bother remembering their names.

Why is this girl so scared? Others might mistake it for shyness, but she seems legitimately terrified of being here. You'd have to look as close as I am, but her entire frame is shaking ever so slightly. It's as if she wants to close herself off from the world. She couldn't be a ghoul, could she? There's no way of telling unless she confesses, but that might explain her fear.

At one point some time later, one of the other teachers calls out ours and we're left alone. She tells us to take a few minutes to socialize, and get settled into our new class. It doesn't take long for a mob to form around the frail girl's desk. Their words jumble together as they try to all talk at her at once. The ruckus only causes her to close in on herself more, shrinking as far away from the people as she can. When she doesn't respond to any of them, their tones begin to get annoyed.

"Hey, say something!"

"Are we not worth talking to or something?"

"You aren't mute, are you?"

"Hey, why is your hair blond? Is your dad a foreigner? Is he European?"

"Did you dye it?"

I sniff. No, she didn't dye it. I'd be able to smell it if she did. That means her dad most likely is from overseas, because that's her natural hair color.

"Why aren't you answering us?"

"Are you crying? What's that all about?" They all start to mention this, confused. They ask her over and over why she's crying, one or two people nudging her arm. Each time they do, she recoils as if their hands were red hot brands. The other kids keep getting more and more agitated, unable to understand that they're the one frightening her to this extent. I write off the possibility of her being a ghoul. If she were, she wouldn't be so scared. She wouldn't let them bother her like this. My guess is she's had this happen to her at her old school, and considering how stricken she is, the bullying was probably a lot worse than this.

Her shaking, only slight before, is now visible to all. The kids start laughing and she places her shivering hands over her ears to block out the noise. Under her breath, I can hear her uttering words to herself that I can't quite make out.

I glance through the children around her, picking them out one by one. Eventually, my eyes land on Aki, the girl who'd introduced herself to me personally earlier.

"Aki!" I call, my voice breaking over their little riot. "Why don't you leave the girl alone and go play with the friends you already have?"

"Aw, come on. We're not doing anything bad. We just want to talk with her."

I bang my hand on my desk, causing them to jump. Kiyoko, especially, jolts up, twisting to look at me. Her dark eyes are wide with fear, but she can't seem to move anymore. She's paused, as if she's a rabbit deciding whether to run or not.

"Can't you see you're scaring her?" I growl. "Now go back to your seat before she passes out from fear! Don't even bother apologizing. It's not like you'll mean it." Baffled and disoriented, the other boys and girls hightail it back to their chairs. As soon as they regain their bearings, they begin to whisper among themselves again. None of them leave their spot.

One of the boys turns to me and shouts, "I'm gonna tell the teacher when she gets back!"

"What? That you were getting up in this girl's space and made her cry?" He closes his mouth and faces the front of the room.

I sigh. Well, so much for not drawing attention to myself.

The fragile, skittish girl continues to stare at me. She doesn't seem to know what to make of me. I saved her, but to her I must have come off as rash and violent. It's probably those types of people that got on her in the past and made her this traumatized.

I return her gaze, trying to keep mine blank and without anger. It upset me, seeing her cowering like that. It's not like I can fix that survival response that seems to have developed in her, but I can at least shoo off the aggressors who trigger it. I don't want to become one myself. For some reason I can't put my finger on, I don't want her to dislike me.

Perhaps I can make it a challenge to myself. Will I be able to make her like me? She's evidently not the most social girl. It might be entertaining to try to make myself unique to her. I _am_ different from everyone else in this room, in more ways than one.

I try smiling at her. "If they're ever mean again, tell me. I'll get them to stop, okay?" When she doesn't say anything, I have to force my mouth to stay smiling. It's awkward, but what else am I supposed to do?

"I'm Kiyoko," she murmurs, holding her shaking hand out to me. Her eyes still watch me intently, wondering if she's making a mistake and I'm still a predator. I am one, according to Dad, but I don't think I'll be that way with her. I take her hand cautiously, as not to scare her off.

"I know. I heard you when you stood up and said your name. In case you missed mine, I'm Misa. It's nice to meet you, Kiyoko."

* * *

THE END


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